Film produced by Realm Productions Ltd
 
 
Artists taking the lead is one of the major projects of the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad and is being developed by Arts Council England in partnership with London 2012 and the arts councils of Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
 
Twelve commissions of up to £500,000 have been awarded to create 12 new works of art across the country; one in each of the nine English regions, and in the nations of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
 
The project was launched in March 2009 with a call to artists to submit their big ideas in just 400 words. Over 2,000 artists applied, spanning a huge range of artforms and incorporating some spectacular ideas.
 
The submissions were judged by panels of artists and producers in each of the nations and regions, to decide the shortlist.
 
Shortlisted artists each received a small development grant to work their idea into a full proposal over the summer. The shortlisted artists then presented the developed idea to the panels in late September. Our panels used the presentations and project proposals to choose the winning commission.
To find out more about the winning projects click on the regions on the black bar at the top of the page.
 
The value of the commissions awarded to the chosen artists will be:
·                       Nine English regions £500,000 each
·                       Northern Ireland £190,000
·                       Scotland £460,000
·                       Wales £230,000
 
The successful commissions will be developed across 2010 and 2011, and all 12 will take part in a final unifying celebration before the opening of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.