Meet the finalists for Australia’s 2026 Rural Women’s Award

Seven women from across Australia’s states and territories are heading to Canberra, where the national 2026 AgriFutures Rural Women’s Award will be announced at a gala event on Tuesday night, September 8.

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There was an appetite for language education in the community. I also knew that we had this amazing dynamic and highly talented multicultural community locally who I think had underutilised skills and experience.

First established by ABC Rural in 1994, the award recognises women making a difference outside the major cities. Each state and territory finalist receives a $15,000 grant for a project, business or program, while the national winner receives an additional $20,000.

New South Wales and ACT finalist Kristie Ivone founded the Boas Language Academy in Albury-Wodonga in September 2024. The academy trains migrants to teach languages including Spanish, Italian, Arabic, Swedish and Swahili, while sharing their cultures with the wider community. Ivone said she saw strong local demand for language education and recognised that the area’s multicultural community had valuable but underused skills. She decided to open the city to the wider world through language after receiving a cancer diagnosis. Boas has delivered more than 29 language courses over the past two years.

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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.

Victoria finalist Becky Dickinson, a mixed-animal veterinarian from Warragul in Gippsland, founded Veterinary Support Services in 2022. The organisation offers mentoring, training and networking for early-career rural veterinarians. Dickinson said new rural vets often face an isolated working life and lack a structured postgraduate pathway. She is using her state award funding to help build a resilient veterinary workforce for Australia’s livestock industries.

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

Queensland finalist Angie Nisbet is a fifth-generation beef producer from remote North-West Queensland. Her experience with skin cancer and melanoma, the death of her best friend from skin cancer and her sister’s diagnosis led her to co-found FarmHer Hands. The organisation makes colourful, sun-safe gloves for farmers to help prevent skin damage.

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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.