Women living in rural, regional and remote (RRR) Queensland are courageous, generous, powerful and inspiring. They are achievers who get things done and play a key role in their communities.
2023 RRR Women celebrates it’s 30 year anniversary. So to honour the inspiring, hardworking rural, regional and remote women in Queensland, RRR Women’s 30 Year Anniversary Awards will shine a light on RRR women and connect, develop and inspire them to make their mark through renewed alumni community recognition. Using their skills, talents and ingenuity, these women are working in their communities, building their businesses, and leading the way for the next generation.
These are ‘grass roots’ awards that aim at identifying those who underpin our communities, the quiet achievers and those that deserve to be acknowledged.
Across four categories including RRR Woman of the Year, the awards hone in on women who are leading the way, lifting others up, creating products and services, and building tight-knit communities. We want to honour women who are visionary, innovative, entrepreneurial and role models for other women to aspire to.
Women in metropolitan areas are an incredible source of support and inspiration for RRR Women. We therefore have a specific category that is also open to women from metropolitan areas ‘RRR Women Champion of the Year’.
SHINE THE LIGHT ON YOU’RE THE WORK THAT’S CLOSE TO YOUR HEART!
The RRR Women Awards Program is a great platform to acknowledge your work, the work of an organisation or a community in rural, regional and remote areas, and a chance for others to nominate the women who are achieving great things.
Winners will have the chance to share the work they’re doing with the whole of the RRR Women’s network – to raise awareness to their causes and businesses with strong, influential women right across the state. Winners also receive a trophy and the ability to use RRR Women’s winner logo on their websites, social media and collateral.
HIGHLIGHT YOUR ACHIEVEMENTS!
The awards can help you gain credibility for your work and leverage your profile as a leader in your industry or community to further your positive impact.
The RRR Women’s Awards is a peer-reviewed recognition of your work within business, volunteering or your community. The judges are people who understand the challenges and joys of living in rural, regional and remote communities.
RRR WOMEN’S 30 YEAR ANNIVERSARY AWARDS ARE NOW CLOSED! GOOD LUCK TO ALL THE NOMINEE!
All self nominations will have the following questions and in addition to these are category specific questions:
- Your name
- Where do you reside?
- Contact details – email, phone, address
- Are you a current RRR Women member?
- Give us a short bio
- Share any of your social media handles
- Upload a current headshot
If you are nominating someone else, the following questions will be asked on the nomination form;
- Who are you nominating for RRR Women’s Awards?
- Their contact details – email and phone number
- What category are you nominating her/them for?
- What is your name?
- Your contact details – email and phone number
- Are you a current member of RRR Women?
- Tell us about the work your nominee is doing. Tell us their story, the work they’re doing/have done, how they are improving the lives of rural, regional and remote women and communities. What do you admire about them? Why are you nominating them? (minimum 250 words)
- Share any websites or social media handles for your nominee or their enterprise/community endeavour/not-for-profit organisation.
This award recognises young role models making an impact in their community, inspiring youth to think outside the box, follow their dreams and take action to put these dreams into motion.
The RRR Woman of the Year is the chief of our awards program. This award recognises a woman or women-led endeavour that is making a difference to rural, regional and remote communities. She/they are leading the way on farm, in town or in business. They are actively involved and go above, breaking new ground in their chosen field. They may be an entrepreneur, a charity worker, or a role model for others in her community.
This award recognises the unsung heroes and leaders who are passionate about rural, regional and remote Queensland, building strong communities, helping others and improving the lived experience of the people around them.
The RRR Woman of the Year Award shines a light on their work and exists to give them the recognition they deserve.
Rebecca is a 6th generation farmer in the South Burnett where she is a Parnter in her family grazing business and runs a Paddock to Plate business “Bunya Beef Grazing” supplying beef packs throughout South East Queensland on a monthly basis. She is also a mother to a growing teen, works part time as an Exercise Physiologist and is involved in numerous community and industry groups including the South Burnett Grazing Network, School P&F/P&C organisations, Red Earth Community Foundation, Drought Resilience Leaders Program through ARLP, local community Ag Networks, AgForce, Baked Relief and more.
Rebecca enjoys making connecting with her customers both in rural and urban areas, sharing some insights and glimpses of life on the land via conversations and social media through her Paddock to Plate business. She also appreciates the opportunity to work in various roles in her local community supporting agriculture, health and developing a strong and vibrant region for the future.
Category Specific Questions
- What inspires you about rural, regional and remote Queensland?
- Tell us about any volunteer work you do, Boards you sit on, organisations you play a role in, or your farming enterprise. Share any web links to work you have done.
- Tell us about your challenges, what drives you, what wins you are most proud of, and what your vision is for the future. (minimum 250 words)
This award recognises young role models making an impact in their community, inspiring youth to think outside the box, follow their dreams and take action to put these dreams into motion.
The RRR Young Woman of the Year is an entrepreneur, trailblazer, inventor or performer aged between 16 – 25 years.
Laura launched The Rural Conversation in 2020, and uses it to advocate for RRR issues. She is also developing a website that can be used to provide resources and contacts for those issues, as well as creating networking opportunities and putting people with plans in contact with people with abilities, and offering her own services and advice in leadership and advocacy.
Laura was a recent recipient of a NextGen Medics Scholarship with Heart of Australia, supporting her to experience rural health care with leaders in innovative delivery.
Category Specific Questions
- Tell us about the work you have done/are doing for rural, regional and remote women over the past year. Tell us about your challenges, what inspires/drives you, the projects you run, what wins you are most proud of, and what your vision is for the future. Share any web links to work you have done. (minimum 250 words)
This award recognises a woman who demonstrates exemplary leadership and has made significant contributions that support RRR women and the challenges they face due to distance and isolation.
The RRR Women Champion of the Year empowers and supports other women by building honest relationships, valuing input, and leads by example. She is changing the landscape for RRR Women through her activity within a community or government organisation, making significant contribution to policy, programs or services that have promoted, supported or improved services for RRR women in a high priority area.
This award is also open to women in metropolitan areas. This award focuses on philanthropic work and volunteering.
Robin retired from rural journalism in 2018 after 35 years with the ABC Country Hour but continues to champion RRR women and their issues through her podcast Postcards from the Bush. The theme of the podcast is RRR women giving to their community. The stories tell of the challenges and heartache they face and successes and lessons learned from failure. The podcasts empower ordinary women and are an inspiration to listeners around the world.
Robin uses her skills as a storyteller to record oral histories so families can hear a parent, sibling, or relative tell their story in their words. Robin writes a regular opinion piece. ‘View from the Paddock’ for Country Life.
Category Specific Question
- Tell us about the work you have done/are doing for rural, regional and remote women over the past year. Tell us about your challenges, what inspires/drives you, the projects you run, what wins you are most proud of, and what your vision is for the future. Share any web links to work you have done. (minimum 250 words)
This award recognises a woman or women-led enterprise whose business/organisation has grown in leaps and bounds. We are looking for an enterprise that has the qualities of vision, innovation, entrepreneurial drive, leadership, individuality, tenacity and demonstrates their commitment to rural women and community building.
The RRR Emerging Enterprise of the Year is the founder or significant stakeholder in a small to medium-sized business, with demonstrated growth in their product or service, or holds their own in an emerging field or areas of focus.
Rebecca is a 6th generation farmer in the South Burnett, mother to a rapidly growing teen, Partner in her family grazing business and Paddock to Plate boxed beef deliveries across South East Queensland, part-time Exercise Physiologist, enthusiastic community member and advocate for Rural communities.
And if that’s not enough, Rebecca is the current Secretary and previous President of the South Burnett Grazing Network, and an active participate in groups including Agforce, Red Earth Community Foundation, Baked Relief, school P&C’s, and local Ag Networks.
Category Specific Question
- Tell us about your business/enterprise/organisation, why you started it, how it fills a need for rural women or communities.
- Tell us about your challenges, what inspires you, what wins you are most proud of, and what your vision is for the future. Share any web links to your enterprise. (minimum 250 words)
- Upload a logo or a marketing image of your enterprise that includes a logo that RRR Women could publish.
Terms & Conditions
Key dates
- Awards open for nominations now
- Award nominations closed.
- Judging will occur in July 2023.
- Winners announced at a special online event in late July / early Aug. Nominees will be notified of the date.
How to enter
- Check you are eligible and determine the right category to enter;
- Self-nominate or nominate another woman;
- Complete the online nomination form – use the links above;
- Submit your category responses for the categories you are entering, answering all the questions, including your contact details & bio;
- If you wish to provide a video to support your entry, make sure it is no longer than 5-minutes and email a link to eso@qrrrwn.org.au
Who can enter
All entrants must:
- Be active in their profession, career, business, creative endeavour, community work in the rural, regional and remote sector of Queensland;
- Be a permanent resident of Queensland, living in rural, regional and remote regions for at least 24-months at time of nomination, noting that nominees for the RRR Champion of the Year is also open to applicants from metropolitan areas. Locations are defined according to the ABS Remoteness Index;
- Nominators must be a financial member of RRR Women at the time nomination is lodged. Nominee may be a non-member if all other conditions are met.
- Not be employed, on the Board or contracted to work in any capacity for QRRRWN at any time during the 2022/2023 financial year.
About the judging panel
The Chair of the Judges is appointed by the RRR Women Board, which in turn selects the Judging Panel. The judging process is independent of the RRR Women Board and the awards working group.
