What will it take to turn Sheffield into UK City of Culture?

"This is a chance to showcase the confidence, creativity and ambition that defines Sheffield."

The city council's leader, Tom Hunt, was responding to Sheffield being included on a list of contenders to become UK City of Culture 2029.

The nine longlisted locations have all been awarded government funding to develop their bids for the title, which was held by Bradford in 2025 and is awarded every four years.

So what do Sheffield people think about the impact the status could have - and how has it changed Bradford for the better?

The final shortlist will be whittled down to three cities - to be featured, Sheffield must fight off the challenges from the likes of Blackpool, Inverness, Portsmouth, Milton Keynes and Swindon.

The £60,000 grants to prepare the full bids will be followed by £10m for the winner to deliver a year-long cultural programme based on "local strengths and stories".

Bradford 2025's bid director was Richard Shaw, who remembers the early stages of the process.

"The expression of interest is quite a small document, six or seven pages, but the actual full bid is 100 pages. It's almost like a manifesto, a call to arms and a sales pitch.

"You have to ask very technical questions. What is the return on investment per capita? What social impacts will there be? What economic impacts will there be?"

Shaw also believes thinking long-term is important.

"We wrote something called Culture is Our Plan, which was a 10-year cultural strategy for Bradford with a successful City of Culture year being right the middle."

Jonny Noble, CEO of the Bradford Business Improvement District (BID), advises his Sheffield counterparts to "start engaging with businesses and key stakeholders" as early as possible.

"The key is maximising your engagement with the cultural organisations and their networks.

"They need to show that they're working alongside partners to deliver cultural activities in Sheffield that will obviously continue and strengthen if they win the bid."

Shaw says the consultation period must be used wisely for "authentic representation".

"We took the decision very early on that it had to be really representative of what is an enormous district.

"You have to listen very carefully and then you have to reflect the views of the people.

"The judges are very clever in being able to tell the difference between what is local authority speak, professional bidders speak, and a genuine community voice."

The Bradford bid's programme and community co-ordinator, May McQuaid, adds that the team did not want to be seen to be "begging" for the prize rather than deserving of it.

"It was obvious what the story was for Bradford. We felt overlooked and underfunded.

"We were at the sharp end of austerity. This was a way to use arts and culture as a step change for a city rather than just having a nice time."

As UK City of Culture, Bradford hosted around 5,000 events including the Turner Prize and those involving the Bantams of the Opera choir. City centre footfall increased by a quarter. According to organisers, it involved 87,000 people in participatory projects and led to a boost in tourism.

Businessman Noble says the city has never seen such "interest and investment" from London.

"Investors from around the country are now looking at Bradford. We've changed the perception of the city."

On the streets of Sheffield, there was support for the bid.

Student Hamza Ahmed, 20, thinks the city is already "welcoming and multicultural" and believes the designation would attract investment and improve community integration.

Alex Grumby, 40, who has young children, thinks the activity programme would be a boost for families. He also has memories of his home city Hull's spell as City of Culture in 2017.

"It was amazing, it changed a lot of stuff around there and had a really positive impact so it would be nice if Sheffield had the same thing.

"Hopefully if we win there'll be more cultural activities all year at the weekends for kids, and not just in the summer holidays."

A spokesperson for Sheffield Council has confirmed that the city's bid will be "intentionally ambitious and inclusive".

"The vision spans all seven hills – from rural villages to the city centre – and celebrates Sheffield's identity as a city of makers, activists, artists, technologists, performers and storytellers.

"The themes Our Voice, Our Place, Our People will guide a programme that boosts local pride, grows cultural participation in every neighbourhood and showcases Sheffield to the world."

The UK City of Culture 2029 winner is expected to be announced later this year.

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