Bradford was unveiled tonight as the next UK City of Culture.
The area will hold the prestigious title in 2025, following in the footsteps of Coventry, Derry/Londonderry and Hull.
Benefits of scooping the gong include attracting millions of pounds of investment to boost regeneration, a year in the cultural spotlight with hundreds of events and a tourism bonanza.
Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries announced the winner of the title - dished out every four years since 2013 - live on the BBC ’s The One Show.
Twenty applicants were whittled down to a shortlist of four, with County Durham, Southampton and Wrexham County Borough failing to get the gong.
But Ms Dorries said those who did not win will be going home with £125,000 each.
Teams from each area whooped and oohed as the winner was unveiled from inside a golden envelope.
The city of 500,000 people in West Yorkshire was transformed from a market town to the “wool capital of the world” during the Industrial Revolution.
Its cultural gems include the Bronte Parsonage Museum in honour of the celebrated writer sisters, the Saltaire industrial-era village that is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the National Science and Media Museum.
Bradford will receive £275,000 in initial funding to begin work on the project.
The three runners-up will get £125,000 each to take forward parts of their bids where possible.
Bradford is already using £20m from the Tories’ Levelling Up Fund to invest in its Squire Lane Wellbeing and Enterprise Centre, and a £4m grant to redevelop the Bradford Odeon into a 4,000-seat live music venue.
But Tory ministers made the announcement just six months after downgrading Bradford in the government’s high-speed rail plan.
Plans for a through station on a new Northern Powerhouse rail line between Leeds and Manchester were axed in a move that was branded a “betrayal”.
Last winner Coventry had more than £172 million pumped into concerts, public art displays and a new children’s play area in the city centre.
Events included the Soweto Gospel Choir, a parody musical about the TV show Friends, and a children’s show with puppet dragons and mythical beasts.
The city also won £500million in regeneration funding.
An expert panel led by Sir Phil Redmond, who created soaps Brookside, Grange Hill and Hollyoaks, visited the four shortlisted places before making its final recommendation.
He said last night: “Culture’s a great catalyst for change, and the year is the best marketing exercise any city could have to bring about change.”
The eight long listed winners received a £40,000 grant to help their applications.
Sir Phil said: “Simply taking part has proved a catalyst in itself.”
Cornwall, Derby, Stirling and a joint Northern Irish bid by Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon were among those that failed to make the shortlist.
The City of Culture idea was the brainchild of Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham during his time as a minister in Gordon Brown’s Labour government.
The scheme was designed to boost the arts outside London.
Full list of initial bids
Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon
The City of Bangor and Northwest Wales
The Borderlands region, comprising Dumfries and Galloway, Scottish Borders, Northumberland, Cumbria and Carlisle City
Bradford
Conwy County
Cornwall
Derby
County Durham
Lancashire
Medway
City of Newport
Powys
Southampton
Stirling
The Tay Cities region
Torbay and Exeter
Wakefield District
City of Wolverhampton
Wrexham County Borough
Great Yarmouth & East Suffolk
