All candidatures to the UNESCO Creative Cities Network require the endorsement by the mayor (or the person of equivalent local/municipal authority) of the concerned city.
The application procedure of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network follows these general steps:
Creating an application to the UNESCO Creative Cities Network is a step-by-step process. The bid document should not only present the city as an ideal candidate, but explain what the city has to offer while showing its intentions to work with other cities.
The application should be produced by a bid management committee, a small but mixed group of experts ideally composed of members of the private and public sectors, as well as civil society. This group will include a focal point person designated by the mayor of the city, who will act as a liaison with UNESCO.
Download the application guidelines (PDF)
The content should be as clear and concise as possible, while the presentation of the city’s cultural assets (such as infrastructure, education, public initiatives, etc.) should reflect both breadth and depth in research.
The recommended size for the application is 50-80 pages including images.
It must be noted that there is no fee to be paid for an application, nor specific deadlines for a submission.
Candidates are highly advised to send a preliminary version of their application to UNESCO at an early stage: this could consist of an executive summary emphasizing the city’s cultural assets and goals for the Creative Cities Network; a draft table of contents; and a list of the people on the management committee.
The final application document has to be submitted in English and/or French, in both print and PDF versions.
If you have further questions concerning the application process, please contact us by email at creativecities@unesco.org.