The city beat off competition from County Durham, Southampton and Wrexham to win the coveted title.
Image source, Bradford Council
Bradford has won the competition to be named the UK’s City of Culture for 2025.
The decision was announced on The One Show on BBC One by Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries.
Bradford will succeed Coventry, the current holder of the title, and those behind the city’s bid believe it will generate £700m and create 3,000 jobs.
County Durham, Southampton and Wrexham had all been shortlisted alongside Bradford.
The winner was approved by Ms Dorries based on independent advice from a panel of experts led by TV writer-producer Sir Phil Redmond.
She said Bradford was a “worthy winner”.
“Art and culture should be accessible to everyone and this prestigious title will help Bradford deliver unforgettable events for communities on their doorstep.
“There was stiff competition and I thank County Durham, Southampton and Wrexham County Borough for their excellent bids.”
The city will receive £270,000 in initial funding to assist it in developing its plans and will also be eligible for a £3m grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund.
For the first time the three runners up will receive £125,000 to enable them to move forward with some of the elements of their bids.
Chair of the advisory panel Sir Phil Redmond said the choice was never about one bid being better than another.
“It is more that one bid has the potential to make a bigger and deliverable impact.”
He said he was looking forward to seeing how far Bradford could raise the cultural bar.
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