So who would be your citizen of the century?

THE hunt for Stoke-on-Trent's Citizen of the Century has begun with the unveiling of a shortlist of the great and the good.

A panel of judges selected the 10 individuals with strong links to the Potteries, who they felt had made the most significant impact locally, nationally and internationally.

The list includes politicians, sportsmen, a pottery industry pioneer, a pop superstar and two great inventors.

But there are also a couple of names on the list who perhaps won't be so well-known.

The Citizen of the Century award is part of a raft of events to celebrate the centenary of the Federation of the Six Towns.

There will be no public vote but Sentinel readers are today being asked to comment on the shortlist and suggest other names of notable individuals from the city.

Readers have until the end of February to suggest new nominees before the judges reconvene.

The overall winner, Stoke-on-Trent's most notable citizen of the last 100 years, will be announced at the Citizen of the Century dinner at the King's Hall in Stoke on the evening of March 31.

The judging panel comprised Potteries historian and Sentinel columnist Fred Hughes, Stoke-on-Trent City Council Leader Ross Irving, Professor Christine King, vice-chancellor and chief executive of Staffordshire University, BBC Radio Stoke Managing Editor Sue Owen, and Sentinel columnist Martin Tideswell.

Mr Hughes, pictured below, said: "This is by no means an exhaustive list and it is always going to be subjective.

"However, our shortlist is a strong one which reflects achievement across the fields of science, sport, the arts, politics and industry.

"What being asked to produce a list like this does do is concentrate the mind on the extraordinary number of people from Stoke-on-Trent who have made a significant impact on other people during their lifetime.

"You would expect nothing less, of course, from a city which was built on creativity through the pottery industry."

Councillor Irving said: "It is important that we celebrate the centenary and Citizen of the Century is one way of doing just that.

"It enables us to look at the fantastic achievements of people who have lived and worked in Stoke-on-Trent and made a difference in their chosen field in the city and internationally.

"It is important we recognise them and the 2010 centenary celebrations present us with the perfect opportunity to do so."