The community of Wigtown is celebrating today (24 January) as it received a £50,000 award in recognition of being one of the country's most creative places.

Wigtown received a £50,000 Creative Place Award in the category for places with fewer than 2,500 residents. The runners up were Creetown and Kilmartin Glen. Each year over 15,000 people flock to Wigtown for its hugely successful Book Festival and the award will allow this to be developed into a year-round programme - including a residential creative writing course and a high-profile Wigtown Lecture.

Creetown also impressed the judges with their long-standing creative programme involving the whole community and walked away with the Judges' Special Award of £40,000. The Judges' Special Award will support the community to invite the National Symphony Orchestra to music workshops in the village as well as developing new projects for the younger residents.

The Creative Place Awards celebrate and recognise the hard work and imagination that

contributes to the rich cultural life of a community, as well as its social and economic well-being.

The Awards are part of the Year of Creative Scotland 2012, a year-long celebration of our nation's cultural and creative strengths.

Broadcaster Dougie Vipond hosted today's ceremony with Awards presented by the judges to communities of different sizes across three categories. The winners are:

• Wigtown received £50,000 in the category for places with fewer than 2,500 residents. Runners up were Creetown and Kilmartin Glen.

• West Kilbride received £100,000 in the category for places with fewer than 10,000 residents. Runners up were Huntly and Prestonpans.

• St Andrews received £150,000 in the category for places with fewer than 100,000 residents. Runners up were Irvine and Perth.

Andrew Dixon, Chief Executive of Creative Scotland and Chair of the Judging panel, said;

'The Year of Creative Scotland and the Creative Place Awards provide a unique opportunity to celebrate and reward places across Scotland that contribute to a Scotland's strength as a creative nation.

'From the Highlands to Dumfries & Galloway, Scotland is a rich tapestry of thriving and vibrant creative communities. The awards will allow these communities to enhance their creative programmes, which will in-turn raise their profile nationally and internationally and attract further visitors.

'It was tough task for the jury to choose just three out of the nine outstanding places nominated, all of which showed substantial vitality, energy and creativity.

This is the first year of the awards and we hope to see even more places putting themselves forward next year.'

Fiona Hyslop, Cabinet Secretary for Culture, said; "Scotland is a creative nation and I am hugely impressed by the wealth of creative communities we have in every corner of the country. To win a Creative Place Award, and in the Year of Creative Scotland 2012, is a great achievement which demonstrates the truly exceptional standard of the successful programmes.

"As well as helping local economies by increasing visitors, the winning projects – which cover a breadth of creative activities – will bring communities together in a common cause that enhances their energy and wellbeing."

Paula McDonald, Regional Director for VisitScotland, said; "Our culture is one of our greatest assets and this year offers a tremendous opportunity to harness local creativity from across Dumfries & Galloway and show our visitors what we're made of. It's fantastic to see the winners in the spotlight today and exciting to see the wealth of creative talent demonstrated. Tourism is a hotbed for creativity but it's only by working together and harnessing enthusiasm that we can truly make the most of the Year of Creative Scotland."