You Gotta Get a Gimmick: Paul O'Grady Story will offer the first glimpse into Paul's extensive archive, contextualising him as an LGBTQIA+ icon, award-winning broadcaster, performer, author, campaigner, and passionate advocate for both people and animals. From championing LGBTQIA+ visibility and equality to encouraging children to read, supporting charitable causes and transforming attitudes towards rescue dogs, Paul gave a voice to those often unheard and became one of Britain's most beloved cultural figures.

Selected artists will attend an archive meeting with Andre Portasio and Joan Marshrons.

Creative guidance: work should reflect Paul's working class warmth and accessible authenticity with a theatrical, expressive, inviting aesthetic and embrace his contradictions (sophisticated yet grounded; theatrical yet intimate; nostalgic yet rebellious; glamorous yet human).

Project scope includes a digital archive (portraits, costumes, video/audio), oral histories, a local Reading Club featuring Paul's children's books, and a heritage trail through Birkenhead Park, Oxton, and the riverfront.

Mediums: open-visual art, poetry, drag, sound, performance, film, sculpture, or multi disciplinary work. Artworks must fit physically or digitally for long term exhibition.

Eligibility & Tiers

There are four separate commission opportunities, each worth £2,000. Artists must be aged 18+. To ensure both national reach and deep local connection, the commissions are tiered by geography:

National - Open to artists based anywhere in the UK.

North West Region - Open to artists in Cumbria, Lancashire, Greater Manchester, Merseyside, Cheshire.

Liverpool City Region - Open to artists based in Halton, Knowsley, Liverpool, Sefton, St Helens, Wirral (option: free Williamson studio + mentorship from Feb 2027).

Local: Wirral - Open to artists based in the Wirral only. This tier also features the option of an Artist in Residence position, offering free studio space at the Williamson.