headline: Plea for artists as Liverpool Eurovision festival plans unveiled
text: first plans for a cultural festival to be held alongside Eurovision in Liverpool are being unveiled with a call out for creatives to take part.
  will celebrate UK music, Eurovision and modern Ukraine, Culture Liverpool said.
  mayor of Liverpool said the festival was a highlight of the city's Eurovision bid adding she was "excited to unleash the potential of artists".
  Liverpool will host the contest on behalf of 2022 winners Ukraine.
  2023 event has been moved to the UK due to the ongoing war in Ukraine.
  Culture Liverpool has issued a call out to artists, creatives and musicians as well as performers for ideas towards creating an inclusive, thought-provoking, entertaining and diverse cultural festival in the lead up to May's main event. 
  It said it was welcoming applicants from creatives who live in the nations competing in Eurovision 2023 particularly artists from Ukraine and the Liverpool City Region.
  Mayor of Liverpool, Joanne Anderson, said: "Liverpool's track record of curating innovative, high-quality artistic events combined with our ambition and determination to pay tribute to our Ukrainian friends stood out to the judges." 
  "Launching the culture commissions call-out is a huge milestone in our planning process," she said.  
  She said Liverpool "thrives on creativity and is willing to push boundaries, so we are excited to unleash the potential of artists from across the world".
  for expressions of interest will be 12 December and successful applicants in the first stage will be given an initial £2,000 of funding to formally develop their proposal, Culture Liverpool said. 
  It added plans for the Eurovision education and community programmes will be announced early next year. 
  Eurovision semi-finals will take place at Liverpool's M&S Bank Arena on 9 and 11 May, with the final following on 13 May.
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