Five Scottish communities are today (24 January) celebrating awards, totalling £380,000, in recognition of being one of the country’s most creative places.

The Creative Place Awards celebrate and recognise the hard work and imagination that contributes to the rich cultural life of a community, as well as its social and economic well-being.

The Awards are part of the Year of Creative Scotland 2012, a year-long celebration of our nation’s cultural and creative strengths.

Broadcaster Dougie Vipond hosted today’s ceremony with awards presented by the judges to communities of different sizes across three categories. The winners are:

• Wigtown received £50,000 in the category for places with fewer than 2,500 residents. The runners up were Creetown and Kilmartin Glen.  Each year over 15,000 people flock to Wigtown for its hugely successful Book Festival, the award will allow this to be developed into a year-round programme – including a residential creative writing course and a high-profile Wigtown Lecture.
• West Kilbride received £100,000 in the category for places with fewer than 10,000 residents.  The runners up were Huntly and Prestonpans.  The award will allow Craft Town Scotland, a community initiative, to develop a new series of exhibitions for The Barony Centre and develop new programmes to involve younger, and older, members of the community in their creative programme.
• St Andrews received £150,000 in the category for places with fewer than 100,000 residents.  The runners up were Irvine and Perth. St Andrews will be hosting its own Year of Celebration in 2012 and the award will allow the town to promote its already rich cultural programme to the UK and international visitors and to support a new community musical theatre production as the year’s centre piece production.

In addition, the judges made two Special Awards of £40,000 to Creetown and Huntly who impressed with their long-standing creative programmes which involve the whole community.

• Creetown won a Special Award for community engagement and high levels of participation in quality arts and creativity.
• Huntly received a Special Award for its creative use of artists.  Huntly has re-branded the town through the use of arts; many of its projects have been led by top international artists.

Andrew Dixon, Chief Executive of Creative Scotland and Chair of the Judging panel, said; “The Year of Creative Scotland and the Creative Place Awards provide a unique opportunity to celebrate and reward places across Scotland that contribute to a Scotland’s strength as a creative nation.

“From the Highlands to the Borders, Scotland is a rich tapestry of thriving and vibrant creative communities.  The awards will allow these communities to enhance their creative programmes, which will in-turn raise their profile nationally and internationally and attract further visitors.

“It was a tough task for the jury to choose just three out of the nine outstanding places nominated, all of which showed substantial vitality, energy and creativity.

This is the first year of the awards and we hope to see even more places putting themselves forward next year.”

Fiona Hyslop, Cabinet Secretary for Culture, said; “Scotland is a creative nation and I am hugely impressed by the wealth of creative communities we have in every corner of the country. To win a Creative Place Award, and in the Year of Creative Scotland 2012, is a great achievement which demonstrates the truly exceptional standard of the successful programmes.

“As well as helping local economies by increasing visitors, the winning projects – which cover a breadth of creative activities – will bring communities together in a common cause that enhances their energy and wellbeing.”

Malcolm Roughead, VisitScotland Chief Executive, said: “Our culture is one of our greatest assets and this year offers a tremendous opportunity to harness local creativity from across every part of Scotland and show our visitors what we’re made of.  It’s fantastic to see the winners in the spotlight today and exciting to see the wealth of creative talent demonstrated. Tourism is a hotbed for creativity but it’s only by working together and harnessing enthusiasm that we can truly make the most of the Year of Creative Scotland.”

Source: Creative Scotland