Leicester's rivals for the 2017 City of Culture title are being given a polite warning they have a fight on their hands.
Postcards showing the delights of our city are being dispatched by the Leicester Mercury to civic leaders in 10 parts of the UK challenging them to say why they feel they would make more worthy winners than us.
Mercury editor Richard Bettsworth said: "We're sending postcards to the other places bidding to be the City of Culture in the spirit of friendly rivalry.
"We want to show them a glimpse of what Leicester has to offer and we hope they respond by telling us about their cities.
"Obviously, we think Leicester should win, but we also think this competition is great for Britain in general, and by bringing together the responses from those vying for the title we can showcase what a great country we live in."
Bosses from Leicester's arts scene are working with politicians and business leaders on a bid they hope will see the city inherit the title from current holders Londonderry, in Northern Ireland.
Leicester's bid will need to be submitted to the Department of Culture, Media and Sport by the end of the month.
So far, rivalry between the cities bidding to win has been muted. Southend MP David Amess sparked some controversy when he banded other contenders as "absolute dumps" in a radio interview.
Mr Amess insisted his remarks were tongue-in-cheek and intended only to liven up the contest.
However, his comments prompted an angry response from Leicester's mayor Sir Peter Soulsby, who said the Essex seaside town looked at its best at midnight and visitors struggled to wash the smell of fish and mud from their clothes.
Dundee, another of Leicester's rivals, have recruiting Hollywood star Brian Cox and telly presenter Lorraine Kelly to front its bid.
Mr Cox, who recently appeared in BBC political comedy Bob Servant, told The Scotsman: "Dundee has an outstanding case to be the UK City of Culture 2017 and to involve everyone in the city, right across the social scale, in something truly special."
Ms Kelly also told the paper: "Dundee has always been a brilliant city but there has been a real renaissance recently."
It is anticipated the city that wins the title when it is announced in November will see a surge in tourist numbers and will benefit from a multi-million boost to its economy.
