2010 RIRDC Rural Women's Award - Develop your skills. Make a difference. Inspire others.

Rural women have just three weeks remaining to apply for the 2001 Award.

The Rural Industries Research & Development Corporation (RIRDC) Rural Women's Award is entering its second decade as one of the most successful and enduring leadership and capacity building initiatives for rural Australia.

Applications are now being accepted for the 2010 Award and rural women are encouraged to give it a go or nominate someone they think is up to a new and exciting challenge.

The Award recognises and encourages rural women and their contribution to rural Australia, but more importantly, provides them with the support and resources to build their leadership skills and their capacity to contribute to more vibrant and sustainable rural communities. Just as importantly, the Award opens up a positive and powerful network of like minded women across the country who are passionate about primary industries and rural Australia.

The Award is open to women of all ages who are involved in agriculture, primary industries or resource development including broadacre and intensive livestock and cropping enterprises, horticulture, forestry, fisheries, natural resource management and related industries.

A project proposal is no longer mandatory with applicants able to use the bursary to further develop their leadership skills or their knowledge of innovations, industries and markets.

Kim Currie, 2009 NSW Rural Women's Award winner from Orange, has more than 25 years experience working with regional producers and has forged new and innovative ways of promoting rural and regional NSW through food and wine. Her goal is to help develop vibrant regional communities by linking local produce, people and experiences forging closer relationships between producers and consumers. Kim is using her bursary to undertake an international study tour, gaining greater knowledge of the successful farmers market models and how they contribute to paddock-to-plate marketing and agritourism.

I encourage anybody who has wondered about doing something like this and perhaps lacked the confidence or who thought there were other people more worthy, to believe in themselves and just go for it, says Kim.

2008 Award winner, Tracey Knowland from Brooklet, runs trials and develops superior selections of small to medium Australian temperate/subtropical rainforest trees and coastal tolerant trees. She used her bursary to fund her participation in the 2008 National Nursery & Garden Association National Conference, followed by a study tour of Victoria's largest wholesale production nurseries to look at sustainable growing methods.

Winning the Award has boosted my confidence, broadened my horizons and provided inspiration and hope for the future, helping me to help my business survive and grow through challenging times, said Tracey.

The 2010 Award will provide a $10,000 bursary for each State and Territory winner and the opportunity for the winners and runner-ups to participate in the RIRDC Australian Institute of Company Directors based leadership program. It also provides the opportunity for one of the seven State and Territory winners to be selected as the 2010 Australian RIRDC Rural Women's Award winner, to represent the Award and to highlight at a national level the contribution women make to rural Australia.

Examples of some of the initiatives the Bursary can be used for include:

• formal training in leadership and business management
• Overseas study tours
• Networking at forums and conferences to grow your knowledge of industries, innovations and markets
• Developing education and promotional campaigns
• Develop training programs and information technology initiatives
• Publishing books.

It's just a matter of using your imagination to dream big about what you want to do and the future direction of your industry.

Rural women interested in apply for the 2010 Award have three weeks remaining to submit their entry with applications closing 15 October 2009.

For an information package and a list of past winners and finalists who have kindly offered to mentor women applying for the Award, contact Allison Priest on 02 6391 3620 or email: allison.priest@industry.nsw.gov.au

More information

For more information including the Award selection criteria and 2010 Application Form see the RIRDC Rural Women's Award national website.

• Selection criteria and how to enter (RIRDC website)

NSW Mentors and information on past winners and finalists

Rural women interested in applying for the 2010 RIRDC Rural Women's Award are strongly encouraged to contact previous NSW winners and finalists who have kindly agreed to support women applying for the Award. Our mentors are each happy to speak with you to discuss your ideas and guide you through the Award process. For a list of mentors contact RWN.

You can read profiles of the highly motivated and successful women who have applied for the NSW Award. Their efforts have helped boost the productivity and sustainability of our primary industries and our rural communities.

• Past winners and finalist profiles

If you haven't already done so, contact RWN for a 2010 application package which includes useful information to help you prepare your application.

Australia's Rural Women - Revealed, recognised and respected

Australia's Rural Women - Revealed, recognised and respected celebrates 10 years of the RIRDC Rural Women's Award. It captures the professional and personal journeys of award recipients since 2000, when the Award began.

For many recipients, the path of time and endeavour has led to great success in business and leadership in their industries and community and beyond. For others, the vagaries of the economy and climate have led to the loss of dreams, thwarted ambitions and business closures. However, through all the recipients journey's some enduring traits shine through - tenacity and a 'give it a go' attitude, a passion and uncompromising belief in primary industries and rural communities, ingenuity, and a fearlessness about embracing change to ensure a more prosperous future for rural Australia and the coming generations.