Meet the Rural Women's Award finalists for 2026

Seven state and territory finalists are competing for the national 2026 AgriFutures Rural Women’s Award, which will be presented at a gala event on September 8 in Canberra. The award, established by ABC Rural in 1994, supports and recognizes women who are making a difference in rural areas. Recipients receive a $15,000 grant for their project, business or program, with the national winner receiving an additional $20,000.

In Albury-Wodonga, Kristie Ivone, founder of the Boas Language Academy, is teaching seven languages, including Spanish, Italian, Arabic, Swedish and Swahili, to migrant community members. Ivone started the academy after receiving a cancer diagnosis and recognizing the untapped language skills in her multicultural community.

Becky Dickinson, a mixed animal veterinarian from Warragul, Gippsland, founded Veterinary Support Services to provide mentoring, training and networking pathways for early-career veterinarians. Dickinson's state award funds are being used to strengthen the rural veterinary workforce in Australia’s livestock industries.

Angie Nisbet, a fifth-generation beef producer from remote North-West Queensland, co-founded FarmHer Hands, a company that produces colourful sun-safe gloves for farmers. Inspired by her experiences with skin cancer, Nisbet believes the gloves will help prevent melanoma and skin cancer, which is essential for farmers working long hours in the sun. FarmHer Hands is leading the AgriSkin Project, which aims to improve early intervention and access to skin health services in rural Australia.

Narelle Zanker, a dairy farmer and former teacher from South Australia, co-founded Dairy Adventures, an agritourism venture that showcases the story of dairy farming on her family’s 4,000-acre property. Zanker used her AgriFutures Rural Women’s Award to expand the farm’s visitor spaces, develop educational activities, and deliver resources in collaboration with Dairy Australia.

Angela Teale, an aerospace engineer and co-founder of Starsite Australia, is dedicated to bringing world-class space infrastructure to regional Western Australia. Teale’s company is part of the first commercial network dedicated to lunar communications, with the Mullewa site operational by the end of 2026. As a recipient of the 2026 AgriFutures Rural Women’s Award, Teale plans to build STEM pathways for regional and Indigenous communities in the space industry.