Meet the Rural Women's Award finalists for 2026

Rural leaders from across the country will come together in Canberra this week to celebrate the achievements of women driving change outside the big cities.

Seven state and territory finalists are in the running for the national 2026 AgriFutures Rural Women's Award, which will be announced at a gala event on Tuesday night, September 8.

First established by ABC Rural in 1994, the award supports and recognises women who are making a difference in the bush.

State and territory finalists receive a $15,000 grant for their project, business or program, and the national winner takes home an additional $20,000. 

Kristie Ivone – New South Wales/ACT

In the Murray River cities of Albury–Wodonga, a plethora of languages are being taught by native speakers: Spanish, Italian, Arabic, Swedish and even Swahili.

The Boas Language Academy, founded by Kristie Ivone in September 2024, trains migrants to teach their own languages and share their culture with others.

"There was an appetite for language education in the community," Ms Ivone said.

"I also knew that we had this amazing dynamic and highly talented multicultural community locally who I think had underutilised skills and experience."

Ms Ivone decided to open up her city to the wider world through language after a cancer diagnosis.

"I think in my life language and language skills have been a key to some of the best opportunities that I've had in my life personally," Ms Ivone said.

Boas has delivered over 29 language courses in the past two years.

Becky Dickinson – Victoria

Mixed animal veterinarian Becky Dickinson from Warragul in Gippsland is passionate about training the next generation of rural vets.

She founded Veterinary Support Services in 2022 to provide mentoring, training and networking pathways to early-career veterinarians.

Ms Dickinson told the Victorian Country Hour that being a new vet in rural areas is tough and isolating.

"I decided there's a bit of a gap here, in terms of a lack of a structured postgraduate pathway for our rural vets," she said.

"It's a very isolating job working independently right from the outset out of uni. This can get them into situations they're not really ready for."

Ms Dickinson is using her state award funds to help secure a resilient rural veterinary workforce for Australia's livestock industries.

Angie Nisbet – Queensland

Fifth-generation beef producer from remote North-West Queensland Angie Nisbet used her own experience with skin cancer and melanoma, and her motivation to make a difference for others.

The death of her best friend to skin cancer and her sister's melanoma diagnosis inspired Ms Nisbet to co-found FarmHer Hands, which makes colourful sun-safe gloves for farmers.

Speaking to the ABC in March, Ms Nisbet said helping farmers prevent skin damage was key to reducing soaring rates of melanoma and skin cancer.

"The gloves are such a great conversation starter," Ms Nisbet said.

"The patterns are really bright and fun, and I think that's really important, especially when you're out 12 hours a day mustering cattle, or out in the hot sun.

"It needs to be encouraged to give that first-year jackaroo or jillaroo some gloves or an option at least to cover up and look after themselves."

FarmHer Hands is leading the AgriSkin Project — a national initiative focused on early intervention and improving access to skin health services in rural Australia.

Narelle Zanker – South Australia

Narelle Zanker is a dairy farmer, former teacher and co-founder of Dairy Adventures, an agritourism venture bringing the story of dairy farming to life on the family's 4,000-acre property just outside Mannum, South Australia.

Raised on the land and shaped by four years in the classroom teaching from ELC to Year 11, Ms Zanker returned to her family farm to combine her twin passions for education and agriculture.

In September 2024, she co-founded Dairy Adventures, the only experience of its kind in South Australia, welcoming visitors of all ages for hands-on encounters with daily farm life, from bottle-feeding calves and touring the dairy to meeting pet cow Elvis.

In its first year, Dairy Adventures attracted more than 1,000 visitors and earned a Silver Medal at the 2025 South Australian Tourism Awards.

With the support of the AgriFutures Rural Women's Award and the Westpac $15,000 grant, Narelle is expanding the farm's visitor spaces, developing educational spaces, activities and signage on the farm, and delivering educational resources in collaboration with Dairy Australia.

Angela Teale – Western Australia

Angela Teale is an aerospace engineer, co-founder and Strategic Advisor of Starsite Australia — a company bringing world-class space infrastructure to regional Western Australia.

Her career began in the US Air Force and has spanned over two decades at the leading edge of the global space sector.

She moved to Geraldton in 2015, and what looked like a career-limiting sea change turned out to be anything but.

In 2022, she and her husband co-founded Starsite. Their Mullewa site is now part of the world's first commercial network dedicated to lunar communications, in partnership with KSAT, operational by the end of 2026.

As the recipient of the 2026 AgriFutures Rural Women's Award, Ms Teale is committed to building real STEM pathways into the space industry for regional and Indigenous communities across Western Australia.

Kelly Shotton – Northern Territory

Kelly Shotton is a station hand, qualified pilot and founder of BoreWatch – an app transforming how remote cattle stations monitor and manage their water infrastructure.

Raised on a sheep and cropping farm in Rochester, Victoria, Ms Shotton completed an electrical apprenticeship before taking a station role with Consolidated Pastoral Company at 25.

She found her calling in the industry and never looked back.

Now based in Darwin as senior head pilot for CPC, she developed BoreWatch from a practical need to streamline bore-run reporting on remote stations, and recognised its potential far beyond her own operation.

With the support of the AgriFutures Rural Women's Award and the Westpac $15,000 grant, Ms Shotton is investing in app development to commercialise BoreWatch and make it accessible to stations across Australia.

Amy Vickers – Tasmania

Amy Vickers spent 26 years in the Royal Australian Navy, rising to Chief Petty Officer — and when her service ended with a medical discharge, she faced the question every veteran knows: "What now?"

The answer came unexpectedly, through a gifted horse named Alby on her property in Gladstone, Tasmania.

That connection became the spark for Well Beyond Service, a rural retreat program helping those who have served in defence and emergency services rediscover identity and purpose after service life.

Through nature, animals, art, therapy and genuine community, Well Beyond Service is earning national recognition for its impact on some of Australia's most dedicated people.