All of the state winners of the 2014 RIRDC Rural Women’s Award have now been announced, ahead of the announcement of the national winner at the 2014 RIRDC Rural Women's Award National Celebratory Dinner on September 24.

Australia’s pre-eminent award for rural women, the RIRDC Rural Women’s Award identifies and rewards women’s contribution to primary industries and rural communities by providing financial assistance, mentoring, resources and support via its nation-wide network of business and community leaders for selected state winners.

Each State and Territory winner receives a $10,000 bursary to provide the resources to develop their vision into a project or initiative that will benefit primary industries and rural Australia. Each State and Territory winner and runner-up will have the opportunity to participate in the Australian Institute of Company Directors Company Directors Course and will be supported to develop an individual integrated leadership plan.

The winners and their award projects are:

Queensland – Lauren Hewitt
Lauren will look at improving farm profitability through leasehold tenure and rent security – sharing knowledge and improving collaboration between leasehold jurisdictions.

Victoria – Julie Aldous
Julie will promote careers in primary industries and learning opportunities for high school students through local land management placements and the development of partnerships between schools and their rural communities.

Tasmania – Annette Reid
A social worker, farmer, mother of five, founder of Rural Help @ Hand and past president of Tasmanian Women in Agriculture, Annette’s project aims to build the confidence of women on small rural properties and encourage them to seek business opportunities

Western Australia – Jackie Jarvis
Jackie will create video postcards showcasing resettled refugees working in agriculture, following on from a program she is running that helps migrants find employment on farms.

South Australia – Penny Schulz
Penny will run the National Dairy Challenge, a two day event attracting small teams from across the country to compete in a range of dairy related activities including pasture management, cattle judging, cheese/milk tasting, animal selection based on genetic breeding values and milk quality control.

New South Wales – Pip Job
Pip will set up a rural women’s training program 'Positive Farming Footprints' to create a community of women who have the adaptive capacity to manage the challenges of rural life.

Northern Territory – Dr Amelia Rentz
Amelia will develop a rural education program focusing on high risk diseases of animals which can infect humans, and how they relate to humans and animals in regional northern Australia.

Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Agriculture, Richard Colbeck, said the award recognises women with demonstrated leadership capabilities and a commitment to make an even greater contribution to benefit rural communities or industries.

“As well as helping make important projects a reality, this award ensures talented and dedicated Australians receive personal and professional development opportunities, including access to a network of Award alumni mentors, they deserve.”

The national winner will be announced on 24 September at the 2014 RIRDC Rural Women's Award National Celebratory Dinner, to be held at Parliament House in Canberra.

For more information on the RIRDC Rural Women’s Awards visit www.rirdc.gov.au/rural-women's-award.