The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has revealed that three new areas - Lancaster, Southend-on-Sea and Swansea Bay - have entered the race to become the UK's first City of Culture.

A total of 22 towns and cities across the country have now submitted outline proposals - including the three new areas - although others are still being invited to submit initial bids ahead of an 11 December deadline. Each of the 22 candidates for the title of the UK's City of Culture in 2013 have been given feedback on proposals to determine whether they want to submit a final bid as part of the DCMS-run competition.

Confirmed candidates include: Barnsley; Birmingham; Bradford; Brighton and Hove; Cheshire West and Chester; Chichester; Cornwall; Durham; Gloucester and Cheltenham; Hull and East Yorkshire; Ipswich and the Haven Gateway and Lancaster. Manchester/Salford; Norwich; Pennine Lancashire; Portsmouth and Southampton; Sheffield; Southend-on-Sea; Swansea Bay and Wakefield are also in the running, as well as Aberdeen, Scotland, and Derry, Northern Ireland.

Culture minister Margaret Hodge said: "The UK City of Culture competition has caught the imagination of people all over the country. The city or place winning the title for 2013 will enjoy a golden opportunity to have the spotlight of national attention focused on them." In September, the DCMS unveiled a list of 29 towns and cities that it said had put themselves forward as candidates, although Bath denied it had submitted a bid and Oxford withdrew in October.

Image: Southend-on-Sea is one of the latest candidates to join the City of Culture race