How do cities apply?
Cities are invited to apply during the Call for Applications dates announced on the website. Applications should be submitted by email using the official Application Form. Applications not submitted in this required format will neither be considered nor evaluated.
When is the application deadline?
The deadline for applications is announced on the UCCN website on the Call for Applications page. For the 2015 call for applications, the deadline will be 15 July 2015, midnight CET. Applications received after this date will not be evaluated.
What languages are accepted?
Applications can only be submitted in English or French, the working languages of the UNESCO Secretariat.
What other documents will we need to provide with our application?
The Application Form must only be accompanied by the presentation and endorsement letters in addition to three photos and the cession of rights form as detailed in the Application Form. Please note that no other documents will be taken into account during the evaluation process.
How do we send our application?
The application must be submitted via email to: ccnapplications(at)unesco.org, with the “subject”: Application [name of the candidate city]. This email should include the following attachments:
(i) The official 2015 Application Form available on the UCCN’s website completed;
(ii) A formal letter from the Applicant City’s Mayor presenting the candidature;
(iii) A formal letter of endorsement of the candidature from the National Commission for UNESCO of the country in which the city is located;
(iv) Two formal letters of support from active national professional association(s) in the creative field concerned;
(v) Three photos of your city related to the creative field concerned s (JPEG, max. 3MB);
(vi) The “Cession of rights and register of photos” form duly filled in.
Please contact us at creativecities(at)unesco.org in case of technical difficulties.
When will we know if our city’s application is successful?
The date of the announcement of the designated cities can be found on the Call for Application page of the UCCN website. If your city is not included in the list of designated cities, you may assume that your application was not successful.
To allow for a considered and impartial evaluation of the applications, we kindly ask candidate cities to refrain from requesting information on their applications during this process.
Who evaluates the application?
The final decision on designation lies with the Director-General of UNESCO, following consultation with UNESCO specialists and external advice provided by NGOs, academics and other independent experts as well as by the member cities organised in the seven creative fields. To protect the independence of the evaluators, no information on the identity of the authors of the evaluation is provided. Moreover, no information on the individual status of the evaluations is provided until the announcement of the results. Candidate cities are requested to avoid inquiring about the evaluator’s identity and doing any sort of lobbying.
Who can we contact if we are having trouble with our application?
It is advisable that you prepare your application as early as possible. The UNESCO Secretariat will be only able to provide assistance with your application should sufficient time allow.
Moreover, the UNESCO Secretariat is unable to follow up the application process of the candidate cities nor to give specific orientations and guidance for each case.
Please contact us at creativecities(at)unesco.org regarding any technical difficulties or general inquiries about the application process.
Do we need to specify a creative field in our application?
Yes, a creative field must be specified and the application must focus on activities associated to this particular creative field. At present, the creative fields covered by the Network are: crafts and folk arts, design, film, gastronomy, literature, media arts and music.
Can a city apply for more than one creative field?
No, each application must refer to only one creative field. This field should be considered as the focus of the application but not as a closed box with no intersections or connections with other creative fields. Innovative approaches in this respect are encouraged.
Can we involve the surrounding areas of the city in the candidature?
It is possible to implicate the adjacent region into the application process and include an action plan comprising activities in which the city and its surrounding area are jointly involved. However, the candidate city must bear primary responsibility and accountability, as it is the city, and not the whole region, that will be designated as a UNESCO Creative City.
We have additional media items we would like to attach to our application, how could we provide these?
Submissions can only be made using the Application Form. Items in hard copy will not be accepted. However, a maximum of four external links to websites can be inserted within the Application Form.
Can we attach images, charts or diagrams to our application?
No, it will not be possible to include these items in the Application Form. It will, however, be possible to include four external links to websites in the Form.
What budget is required?
There is no minimal or maximum amount foreseen for the provisional budget included in the application. The evaluators will assess the quality of the action plan and the consistency of the proposed budget with the planned activities. The budget proposed should fit your city’s size and potential.