Where in the North West is bidding for Town of Culture?
PA/BBC/LDRSIt is the final day for areas to submit their initial interest to bid to become the UK's first Town of Culture.
But what is the competition - and where in the North West is planning on going for the title?
What is the UK Town of Culture competition?
The Town of Culture is a competition being run by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
It follows on from similar competitions, such as the City of Culture which was launched in 2009.
Derry, Hull, Coventry and Bradford have all held the title of UK City of Culture since then.
The scheme was modelled on the European Capital of Culture, which was awarded to Liverpool in 2008.
Getty ImagesWhat is the prize?
The Town of Culture is aimed at smaller towns and there are three categories based on the size of an area's population.
They are:
Small town (Less than 20,000 people)
Medium (20,000 - 75,000 people)
Large (75,000+)
There will be a winner in each category and from these, an overall winner will be selected.
The overall winner will receive £3m for a cultural programme in 2028, and the two other finalists will receive £250,000 each to put on part of their bid.
Where in the North West is bidding?
So far, more than 20 places in the North West have said they intend to submit an expression of interest.
They are, in alphabetic order by county:
Cheshire
Congleton
Crewe
Knutsford
Lymm
Macclesfield
Greater Manchester
Bury
Leigh
Rochdale
Stockport
Lancashire
Accrington
Blackburn
Blackpool
Burnley
Chorley
Kirkham
Leyland
Lytham
Morecambe
St Annes
Merseyside
Birkenhead
Bootle
New Brighton
Prescot
Widnes
What happens next?
Towns will have until the end of 31 March to put forward their initial expression of interest, with the shortlisted places to be announced in the coming weeks.
The shortlisted areas will each receive a grant of £60,000 to complete their full application, which will need to be submitted by the autumn of 2026.
The finalists and overall winner are to be announced in early 2027.
The winning cultural programme will then take place in 2028.
Read more stories from Cheshire, Lancashire, Greater Manchester and Merseyside on the BBC, watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer and follow BBC North West on X.