Judges said artistic and cultural expertise in Aberdeen was \'limited\' Aberdeen – Arab Today Aberdeen did not make the shortlist to become UK City of Culture for 2017. According to judges, the city lacked “a coherent vision” and the “wow factor” as reported by BBC. While city council leaders view the let down as a “wake up call,” the panel has pointed to Aberdeen’s potential to become a strong candidate in the future.   
The bid that was supported by several artists like Emeli Sande was described as not being able to “deliver a compelling case in terms of vision or deliverability.” It was reported that “the vision and step changes lack coherence and fail to give a clear picture of the difference that UK CoC would make for Aberdeen.”

Source: BBC