Already with over 250 creative media arts companies and a city strategy and vision to grow the area and enhance the public realm, the City of York now has the clear ambition to join the UNESCO Creative City network.

Find out more about the bid on the York City of Media Arts website and watch the 50 Stories video on YouTube

The council's chief executive, Kersten England, is in Seoul with Marcus Romer, artistic director and CEO of Pilot Theatre based at York Theatre Royal, to present York's bid to become an internationally recognised UNESCO Creative Media City.

For photos and updates of the visit see Marcus Romers's blog.

Update 17 November 2011

"We presented York's case today to UNESCO to become one of the designated creative cities of the world - on the basis of the strength of the new media arts in the city. Our pitch showcased the work of Illuminating York, and companies such as KMA, Bright White and Revolution software who between them brought the UK Bollywood premiere to 500 million viewers worldwide, created the stage set for the British pavilion at the  2010 Bejing Expo and produced Broken Sword, one of the worlds top rated video games. Cities such as Montreal, Buenos Aires, Sapporo and the UK cities of Edinburgh and Glasgow all expressed an interest in working with York and sharing expertise."