After two months and 80 entries, the first Umbro Industries initiative comes to a climax this weekend, with the five shortlisted finalists pitching their ideas to our panel of creative and business innovators. Aiming to fuel creativity throughout Greater Manchester, Umbro Industries is a new idea that offers £10,000 of bursaries to the best ideas in art, music, fashion and culture every three months. We’re very excited to be able to reveal who has been chosen for the shortlist on this occasion, earning the opportunity to impress our judges and walk away with all or part of the money this weekend.

In no particular order, they are:

Upper Space Gallery

Previously making their mark on Manchester with a gallery in the Northern Quarter and a series of art events, graffiti and street art specialists Upper Space propose to take their work online with a web-based exhibition space and shop, combined with a series of one-off collaborations in the public realm.

True Manc. Stories

Fly-posting is an integral part of everyday life. For their idea, True Manc. Stories propose an exploration and exhibition of street posters, tracing their history and examining the particular role they’ve played here in Manchester from the 1970s to the present day.

Mind On Fire

A record label and musical collective, Mind On Fire have been supporting Manchester’s bands, DJs and producers for the past five years. To celebrate this anniversary, their proposal includes the release of a series of limited edition singles, a series of events to launch the releases, and an expansion of their online resources.

Same Teens

Born out of the frustration of being unable to get into age-restricted gigs, Same Teens have since grown to establish under-18 club nights and gigs across Manchester, staging events at Manchester International Festival and In The City in the process. Their proposal involves developing a website and print publication to expand the Same Teens idea even further.

Manchester Creative Co-Working Space

Aiming to bring together the city’s creative community, the Manchester Creative Co-Working Space would offer a meeting place for freelancers and independent agencies to come together. Working on the idea that a problem shared is a problem halved, the Space would offer resources, support and a creative atmosphere to help those looking for inspiration.

So, that’s the five ideas that have been shortlisted. On Sunday, they’ll pitch to the panel at our base in the Northern Quarter, and the winners will be decided on the day. Umbro Industries is an ongoing, long-term commitment to Manchester’s creative community, and the website will open again on November 2 for the next round of ideas. If you weren’t successful this time, or have been inspired to come up with something new, you can enter your ideas and be in with a chance of getting the support next time around.