Artworks to showcase UK in 2012

Alex Hartley is bringing an island discovered in the Arctic to the South West coast

A giant human puppet of Lady Godiva and three 30ft (9.1m) crocheted lions are among the artworks selected to showcase British culture at the 2012 Olympics.

More than 2,000 entries were received in what the Arts Council dubbed "the most ambitious and wide-ranging art prize in the UK".

The 12 winning designs, from Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales and the nine English regions, will share £5.4m.

Each project is inspired by its location and celebrates the Games.

The 12 winning commissions will be developed across 2010 and 2011, among them a full-size football pitch created within woodland in the Scottish Borders and an environmentally sustainable watermill.

Moira Sinclair, executive director of Arts Council England, London, said the pieces would "redefine what public art will mean in 2012".

"From spectacular events and monumental installations to very personal explorations of a region's culture in perhaps more unexpected places, the active involvement of individuals and communities will be key to their success and encourage new audiences to enjoy the arts," she added.

The 12 commissions, chosen by panels of independent artists and producers, are:

• East region - On Landguard Point, Pacitti Theatre Company
  A feature film, starring members of the local community alongside leading artists, to be created from a series of spectacular outdoor events across East Anglia.
• East Midlands - Lionheart, Shauna Richardson
  Taking its inspiration from Richard the Lionheart and the region's textile industry, three 30ft lions will be hand-crocheted and displayed in a taxidermy-style case in Nottingham.
• London - Bus-Tops, Alfie Dennen and Paula Le Dieu
  LED panels on the roofs of bus stops aim to provide Londoners with a new way to display their creativity, express what is special about their London and to talk to one another.
• North East - Flow, The Owl Project and Ed Carter
  An environmentally sustainable watermill will be created to float on the River Tyne, forming an interactive arts space full of fantastical mechanical devices.
• North West - Projected Column, Anthony McCall and Fact
  A spinning column of cloud and light will rise as far as the eye can see from Birkenhead's disused Morpeth dock, directly opposite the city of Liverpool.
• Northern Ireland - The Nest, Brian Irvine and John McIlduff
  A warehouse installation made from donated possessions that aims to inspire a musical composition for the largest chorus ever assembled in Northern Ireland.
• Scotland - Forest Pitch, Craig Coulthard
  A full-size football pitch will be created within woodland in the Scottish Borders, hosting two football matches made up of amateurs from around Scotland.
• South East - The Boat Project, Lone Twin
  Local people will be asked to donate wooden objects of personal significance to help create a beautiful sea-faring boat. Once complete, the boat will sail the south east-coast and become the focus of celebratory arts events.
• South West - nowhereisland, Alex Hartley
  Hartley will bring an island he discovered in the High Arctic in 2004 to the South West. The island will navigate the coast accompanied by a travelling embassy, exploring issues of climate change and land ownership.
• Wales - Adain Avion, Marc Rees
  A travelling wingless silver bird, recycled from an abandoned DC9 aeroplane, will "nest" in locations across Wales, and be transformed and animated by the local communities who take ownership of it.
• West Midlands - Godiva Awakes, Imagineer Productions
  Coventry icon Lady Godiva will be recreated as a giant human puppet and lead a cast of thousands in a processional performance, before making her journey to London.
• Yorkshire - Leeds Canvas, Leeds Canvas
  Billed by the organisers as an "unprecedented collaboration" between the city's artists, arts organisations and internationally renowned Quay Brothers. It will use the buildings, streets and people of Leeds as the canvas for a month-long series of works.