Herne Bay arts and culture lovers are being urged to vote for the town in the Canterbury 4 Culture awards.

The Marcel Duchamp Festival has been nominated for four of the top accolades, and the public has their chance to vote in the category of People’s Award.

Last summer it commemorated the 100 anniversary of the artist famously writing on a postcard: “I’m not dead... I’m in Herne Bay.”

The festival ran for three weeks and was embraced by the whole town, as well as hitting the headlines in national media too.

It has been nominated in three other categories including the best cultural experience in East Kent, offering the best project to engage the wider community and being the best event to promote the area nationally and internationally.

They will be up against projects including the Turner Contemporary in Margate, and arts groups in Canterbury.

Duchamp organiser Sue Austen said: “To be up there with arts organisations like the Turner Contemporary shows that sometimes a bunch of amateurs can be as serious and as professional as the professionals.

“It was a fantastic effort to put on so many events and exhibitions in such a short time. It brought the whole community together, and showed if everyone does a little, we can all achieve a lot.

“The nominations show we are a cultured town, so we’re looking for lots of support from people in Herne Bay.”

Fellow organiser Steve Coombes is spearheading the campaign to win the People’s Award. He said: “This was huge news for Herne Bay last year.

“This is the first time Herne Bay has had so many nominations, no town has ever got as many as this. It’s really a feather in the town’s cap.”

You can vote in the People’s Award by visiting www.thecultureawards.org and click the link for the public vote.