THE list of places vying for UK city status with Crewe has been revealed.

The 39 contenders who are entering a competition to mark The Queen's Platinum Jubilee includes towns large and small as well as overseas territories and Crown Dependencies with Stanley, the capital of the Falkland Islands and Gibraltar among them.

Crewe's application was revealed in October with Crewe Town Mayor Cllr Tom Dunlop describing it as a "rare opportunity" to highlight the town's high-growth status and strategic importance.

As a first-time applicant to the process Crewe will be up against established "city-status seekers" such as Milton Keynes, who have made three previous bids.

Places will be assessed on their cultural heritage, traditions and identity, as well as links to royalty and famous local residents.

There is no fixed limit on the number of winners and a final decision will be made in June 2022 when the Queen will her give her assent to the successful locations.

So who are Crewe up against?

Alcester: Renowned for two stately homes, Coughton Court and Ragley Hall.

Ballymena: Oscar-nominated actor Liam Neeson was born here.

Bangor: Comedian Eddie Izzard lived in the Northern Irish seaside town for five years as a child.

Blackburn: The Lancashire town's famous celebrities include the late Russell Harty, Ian McShane and Lee Mack.

Bolsover: The Derbyshire town's former long-serving left-wing Labour MP Dennis Skinner was known as the 'Beast of Bolsover'.

Boston: Its Maud Foster Windmill is one of the largest operating windmills in England.

Bournemouth: The seaside resort is a popular destination for stag and hen parties.

Coleraine: World Heritage Site the Giant's Causeway is a short bus ride away.

Colchester: A military garrison since the Roman era

Crawley: The Sussex town was designated as one of England's post-war new towns.

Doncaster: Doncaster Minster is a Grade I listed building, while like Crewe the Yorkshire town has seen its traditional market hall regenerated with more then £3m pumped into the Wool Market.

Dorchester: Thomas Hardy based his fictional town of Casterbridge on the county town of Dorset.

Douglas: The capital and largest town (population 27,000) of the Isle of Man.

Dudley: Home to Dudley Zoo and the Black Country Living Museum.

Dumfries: Host to the Guid Nychburris festival and home to Queen of the South FC.

Dunfermline: A Fife town with plenty of heritage in the shape of Dunfermline Abbey, a Carnegie Library and Pittencrieff House Museum.

Elgin: Historic ruin Elgin Cathedral is the location of the ninth century Elgin Pillar.

George Town: The capital of the Cayman Islands.

Gibraltar: The British Overseas Territory whose landscape is dominated by the Rock of Gibraltar.

Goole: Humber docks town which was informally twinned with Gibraltar in the 1960s.

Greenock: 18th century engineer James Watt is arguably the Clyde port town's most famous resident.

Guildford: Its 14th century Guildhall is a landmark of the Surrey town.

Livingston: The fourth post-war new town to be built in Scotland has a population of around 60,000.

Marazion: With a population of around 1,500 it would become the UK's smallest city if its bid was a success.

Medway: The Kent conurbation's main towns are Strood, Rochester, Chatham, Gillingham and Rainham

Middlesborough: The heavily industrialised town is home to the Riverside Stadium.

Milton Keynes: The Buckinghamshire new town submitted its fourth bid for city status via a delivery robot.

Newport and Carisbrooke: There are 388 listed buildings in this civil parish of the Isle of Wight.

Northampton: One of the largest towns bidding with a population greater than 225,000.

Oban: McCaig's Tower is a prominent landmark over this Scottish town's bay.

Reading: The host of one of the UK's biggest music festivals has a population of 161,780.

Peel: A small fishing port on the Isle of Man with a population of 5,374.

St Andrews: Fife town known as the "home of golf" because its Royal and Ancient Golf Club is the most frequent host of The Open.

Stanley: New rules meant the Falklands capital was able to enter the contest.

South Ayrshire, Ayrshire and Arran: A notable Scottish tourist region.

Warrington: The North Cheshire town with a population of 210,014 once was under the same council authority as Crewe; that was Cheshire County Council.

Warwick: Boasts plenty of heritage with medieval castle and the Collegiate Church of St Mary.

Wrexham: The Grade I listed St Giles' Church and historic Butcher's Market contrasts with the modern market development, Ty Pawb. The town missed out on city status to St. Asaph in 2012.

Currently, there are 69 current cities in the UK; 51 in England, six in Wales, seven in Scotland and five in Northern Ireland.