NOMINATIONS will soon open for next year's Australian Rural Women's Award, which recognises women involved in agriculture, primary industries and resource development for the contribution they give to their industries and communities.
Past winners at a State and National level have included small business owners, farmers from all sorts of industries who have effected change for their own operation or the broader industry, local produce advocates, authors and community leaders.
This year's winner, Roma Britnell, is a dairy farmer from Victoria.
Mrs Britnell chairs WestVic Dairy, and with her husband Glenn began share farming 10 years ago.
Today they own three farms, employing managers on two and running the third themselves.
The award, co-ordinated by the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation and sponsored by Rural Press, is open to women in each State and Territory, with State winners receiving a $10,000 bursary towards leadership and business development.
The winners from each State will go on to contest the national title, which is announced each year in May at a gala dinner in Canberra.
The award is described by many past recipients as "life changing" and women can be entered either by nominating themselves or being nominated by someone else.
Nominees are encouraged to "use your imagination" and dream big about what they want to do and the future direction of their industry.
They must demonstrate a personal commitment to primary industries and the role of women in their State, the potential to achieve and deliver benefits to primary industries and provide leadership and share skills and knowledge with others.
* Fore more information visit www.ruralwomensaward.gov.au or contact your State co-ordinator: jocelyn.mason@dpi.vic.gov.au
