Artists urged to enter race for £6m Cultural Olympiad grants

Artists, writers, composers and choreographers are being called on to create new works celebrating the 2012 Olympics.

The project is being hailed as the most ambitious and wide-ranging art prize in Britain, with grants worth £6 million being offered.

At least one work will be dedicated to London. Shortlists of up to five projects will be drawn up in 12 regions of the UK. The winners will be selected by the end of the year.

This will give them more than two years to create their artwork, whether it is a new sculpture, play or symphony. Moira Sinclair, executive director of the Arts Council in London, said: "The deadline is the Olympic Games but if they're ready before then, they'll go."

All the pieces will be presented in some form in the capital for the Olympic year, even if immovable works, such as sculptures, are seen in picture form.

Artists Taking The Lead is the first of 10 big projects planned for the Cultural Olympiad in the run-up to the Games. The strategy so far has faced criticism, with senior figures expressing concerns over where funding will come from. But organisers hope support will increase now that the first initiative has been launched.

Ms Sinclair said: "We know there are fantastic artists working up proposals. This is mainly about great art."

London 2012 chairman Sebastian Coe wants the Cultural Olympiad to hark back to the beginning of the modern Olympic movement, when artists as well as athletes competed for medals.

"This is the first step in what promises to be a fascinating journey to 2012 as our plans for the Games - both sporting and cultural - really begin to take shape," he said.

Mayor Boris Johnson called the project a "wonderful opportunity for artists to become part of the Olympic legacy".

WHAT THE EXPERTS SAID...

Peter Bazalgette, TV programme creator who brought Big Brother to Britain

I would like to see opera relayed in 3D to cinemas. It would be tremendously exciting. Putting opera in cinemas is the latest thing and 3D cinema is getting people excited. I would like to combine them, but the cost of capture - putting all the cameras in - is a bit prohibitive for the poor opera houses. The Cultural Olympiad could be the opportunity. It could make opera much more popular and viewable in a wider geographical area.

Jonathan Yeo, portraitist of Rupert Murdoch and Tony Blair

I would ban outdoor advertising which sounds mad and unrealistic but they have done it in some South American cities. It would be a huge aesthetic statement. The city would look more beautiful and people would be made aware of the architecture. Young artists from overseas are always struck by the diversity of architecture in London from the old to the modern. And for Olympics year, you could replace advertising with artists' projects.

Tom Holland, author of historical books Persian Fire and Rubicon

The Olympics would be immeasurably improved if the homage that is paid to their origins in ancient Greece went beyond the level of mere kitsch. The organisers should resurrect the classical tradition of public poetry recitals, and commission the world's leading poets to compose 21st century equivalents of Pindar's odes.

Michael Nyman, composer who wrote score for film The Piano

I would like to write a piece that uses a hundred rock guitarists, but using each of them as an individual voice instead of a block of sound. So instead of the easy thing of getting an orchestra and a choir to do some pompous anthem, you use brilliant individuals such as Dave Gilmour and Pete Townshend and younger guitarists in a proper composed piece.

Gavin Turk, Young British Artist

I would like to go back to an unaccomplished project. In about 1992 or 93, I wanted to make some kind of mobile museum constructed like a huge inflatable in the shape of a pillow or a piece of chewing gum with artwork inside it.

The [gallerist] Joshua Compston and I found it was simply very, very difficult to do in terms of health and safety. But I would love to try to make this pop-up museum again.