Meet the 2025 Agrifutures Rural Women's Award national finalists

The Rural Women's Award, originally established by ABC Rural in 1994 and now in its 25th year as an AgriFutures initiative, celebrates the women who drive change in rural, regional and remote Australia and rewards their innovation and resilience.

State and territory winners are awarded $15,000 scholarships to help them develop their projects and access business and leadership support.

The national 2025 AgriFutures Rural Women's Award will be announced at the annual gala dinner event at Canberra's Parliament House in front of an audience of alumni, politicians, business leaders, and the media on Tuesday, October 28, 2025.

Here are the finalists.

Carol Mudford — NSW

A shearer, wool handler and registered nurse, Carol founded sHedway in 2023, a national not-for-profit tackling suicide prevention and mental health in the shearing industry. The initiative was created following the loss of a fellow shearer to suicide, and as a response to the growing need for mental health support in sheds across Australia.

With humble beginnings as a social media page, sHedway delivered 42 events in its first year across every mainland state, evolving into a national movement and opening up honest conversations and practical support.

Carol was named NSW AgriFutures Rural Women's Award winner for her leadership and commitment to improving wellbeing in one of Australia's most iconic and under-supported industries, ensuring shearers looked after themselves and each other.

Mary Cole — Victoria

Mary Cole grew up on the lush Atherton Tablelands in Far North Queensland, deeply influenced by her father and his Indigenous elder friend, who instilled in her a profound respect for the natural world.

Now an internationally recognised expert in mycology, plant pathology and soil microbiology, with a career spanning more than five decades, Dr Cole was named the winner of Victoria's AgriFutures Rural Women's Award for her pioneering work in biological farming and soil microbiology, and her commitment to ensuring a healthier future for agriculture.

Her work advocates for no-till pasture cropping to preserve fungal networks vital to soil health, and the use of natural bio-fertilisers derived from compost and compost tea, which offer a cost-effective alternative to synthetic inputs.

Isabella Thrupp — Western Australia

Isabella Thrupp only realised the importance of a good pair of jeans when she moved to the remote Kimberley region of Western Australia to work on a cattle station.

Four years on, she not only manages Leopold Downs Station with her partner Jacob, but has started her own clothing brand, inspired by life in the rugged north-west and answering the need for a good pair of jeans.

The idea for Prinking in Pindan grew from long days of mustering cattle and conversations that often turned to the struggle of finding jeans that were comfortable, affordable and could withstand the harsh conditions of station life.

Isabella was named Western Australia's AgriFutures Rural Women's Award winner for her work to empower rural women, bridge the gap between country and city life, and champion sustainability in an industry that often overlooked the needs of those on the land.

Sarah De Jonge — Tasmania

Sarah De Jonge is convinced that a small, handmade object can carry hope, comfort and connection. With a degree in psychology and formal training as a counsellor, she has walked alongside people through their toughest seasons. But after facing her own personal challenges a decade ago, she set out to find a new way to make a difference.

That search led to 1000 Hearts, a project that involved Sarah hand-stitching 1,000 tiny woollen hearts to give away as random acts of kindness.

It has since grown into a global movement.

The 1000 Hearts initiative is now embraced by schools, hospitals, charities, workplaces and individuals worldwide, all united in the belief that kindness, no matter how small, can have a profound ripple effect.

Sarah was named Tasmania's AgriFutures Rural Women's Award winner for a project demonstrating small acts of kindness could create powerful connections.

Kelly Johnson — South Australia

Kelly Johnson is the founder of SPhiker, a Murray Bridge-based agribusiness turning surplus farm produce into shelf-stable, plant-based meals that are good for people, farmers and the planet.

The idea came to Kelly when she discovered a friend was throwing away a tonne of peaches each year. Drawing on her years as a Scout leader and a love of the outdoors, she dehydrated the fruit and sold it at local markets.

Launched in 2023, SPhiker produces meals from second-grade produce, sourced from local farms and packaged in compostable pouches. Last year, it diverted 22 tonnes of food waste from landfill.

SPhiker now also runs hands-on workshops, empowering people to preserve their own backyard produce to reduce waste and embrace food resilience at home.

Kelly was named the South Australian winner of the AgriFutures Rural Women's Award.

Kristy Hollis — Northern Territory

Through her project Women's Business: Nurture and Thrive, Kristy Hollis offers workshops and personalised naturopathic consultations in remote communities, focusing on women's health, nutrition, stress and emotional wellbeing.

A naturopath and herbalist of more than 23 years, Kristy's career began in science, with a CSIRO traineeship in entomology, working to control weeds like yellow dock and red clover. Today, she embraces the same plants as healing herbs.

Based in the Northern Territory for the past 16 years, Kristy now partners with First Nations healers and is passionate about improving rural and remote health by integrating natural medicine, community care, and cultural knowledge.

Kristy was named the Northern Territory winner of the AgriFutures Rural Women's Award.

Nicole McNaughton — Queensland

Nicole McNaughton leads the Food and Agribusiness Network (FAN), a leading food industry cluster responsible for connecting and supporting more than 420 members across the Moreton Bay, Sunshine Coast and Gympie regions, fostering collaboration, growth and innovation.

A passionate advocate for regional agribusiness, Nicole has dedicated her career to connecting producers, manufacturers and industry leaders, ensuring regional food businesses can thrive in domestic and global markets.

She is also the driving force behind Grow National, a hands-on accelerator program that helps regional food and agribusinesses scale with confidence, which has become a launch pad for female founders and regional innovators.

Named the Queensland winner of the AgriFutures Rural Women's Award, Nicole said she was proud of the deep, lasting bonds created between participants that went well beyond business.