An announcement on Whitehaven's bid for the prestigious Great Exhibition of the North could be heard as soon as next month.

The town is up against some of the country's top cities, such as Liverpool, Newcastle and Bradford, in its bid which has been handed in today.

A shortlist now looks set to be revealed in July.

Whitehaven's bid also includes support from all of the county's top MPs and major councils as well as Britain's Energy Coast Business Cluster, Cumbria Tourism, LDNP, Cumbria Local Enterprise Patrnership as well as the Universities of Cumbria, UCLan and Lancaster.

Celia MacKenzie, chief executive of Whitehaven Harbour Commissioners, who are the leading organisation in the bid's consortium, said the aim of the bid was to be "different and innovative''.

By including the county as a whole, it is hoped the bid will be unique when compared with famous Northern cities.

Culture Minister Ed Vaizey said: “The Great Exhibition of North is a unique opportunity to showcase the very best of Northern art, culture and design.

"Investment in arts and culture brings enormous benefits to local economies, boosts tourism and can spur the regeneration of towns and cities.

"Cumbria is known the world over for its stunning landscape and unique cultural attractions and I am sure it will submit a strong bid."

While Sir Gary Verity, chairman of the Great Exhibition of the North board, said: "The Great Exhibition of the North will showcase the best of our art, design and culture to the world in 2018 and will help bring the whole region together.

"I look forward to seeing the high quality bids from towns and cities across the North."