We see you, we value what you do, and we want others to notice too
Each year, South Australia pauses to ask which of its rural communities most faithfully carries the weight of the land — its heritage, its hardship, and its quiet cohesion. For the eighth time, that question is now open to the public, with more than ninety towns across thirteen agricultural regions invited into the reckoning. The 2026 Agricultural Town of the Year Award is less a competition than a collective act of recognition, a way of saying that the work done far from the cities still shapes the character of the whole.
- More than 90 towns are vying for a single honour, making this the broadest field in the award's eight-year history.
- Public voting closes June 3, creating a narrow window for communities to rally support before the top ten are locked in.
- The stakes are real — finalists face written submissions and judge visits, meaning early momentum can carry a town all the way to the podium.
- Past winners like Lameroo, Penola, and Wudinna show the award genuinely travels the state, giving smaller, lesser-known centres a legitimate shot at recognition.
- The competition lands at a moment when rural identity and agricultural resilience are under increasing scrutiny, lending the vote a significance beyond ceremony.
South Australia has opened public voting for its 2026 Agricultural Town of the Year Award, inviting residents to weigh in on which regional community best embodies the farming spirit that defines the state's interior. More than ninety towns are nominated, drawn from thirteen agricultural regions stretching from the wine country of the Barossa to the sheep stations of the Eyre Peninsula to the oyster beds of Coffin Bay.
Now in its eighth year, the award is run by the Department of Primary Industries and Regions alongside Solstice Media. Minister Clare Scriven described it as a celebration of the vibrant communities whose agricultural commitment sustains the broader state, encouraging voters to consider what makes each region genuinely distinctive.
The process moves in stages: public voting runs until June 3, after which the ten highest vote-getters become finalists. Those towns will submit written materials to an independent panel, which will select three for in-person judge visits before a winner is announced at the 2026 South Australian Regional Showcase Awards later in the year.
The award's history suggests no single region dominates — Lameroo, Penola, Wudinna, Mypolonga, Kimba, Pinnaroo, and Cleve have each taken the title in recent years, spanning the Limestone Coast, Eyre Peninsula, and Murraylands. The current nominee list includes familiar hubs like Murray Bridge and Renmark alongside smaller centres whose stories are known mainly to those who live among them.
South Australia is asking its residents to vote for which regional town best embodies the spirit of the state's agricultural heartland. The 2026 Agricultural Town of the Year Award is now open to public voting, with more than 90 towns from across the state in the running. The competition, now in its eighth year, is run by the Department of Primary Industries and Regions in partnership with InDaily's publisher, Solstice Media.
The award exists to shine a light on regional centres that have woven farming heritage into their identity while also showing the kind of resilience and community cohesion that keeps rural South Australia functioning. Towns from thirteen distinct agricultural regions are competing: the Adelaide Hills, Barossa, Eyre Peninsula, Fleurieu, Flinders Ranges, Kangaroo Island, Limestone Coast, Mid North, Murraylands, Northern Areas, Riverland, Spencer Gulf, and Yorke Peninsula. The breadth of the nomination pool reflects how distributed agricultural life is across the state, from the wine country of the Barossa to the sheep stations of the Eyre Peninsula to the orchards and vineyards of the Adelaide Hills.
Primary Industries and Regional Development Minister Clare Scriven framed the award as a way of recognizing what makes these communities tick. She described it as celebrating "vibrant regional communities" and their commitment to the work that feeds and sustains the broader state. In her statement, she encouraged voters to think about which town best represents what makes South Australia's regions distinctive.
The voting process unfolds in stages. Public ballots remain open until June 3, and the ten towns that accumulate the most votes move forward. Those finalists will be announced in mid-June. Each of the ten will then submit written materials to an independent judging panel, which will narrow the field to three. Those three finalists will receive visits from judges before a winner is crowned at the 2026 South Australian Regional Showcase Awards, scheduled for later in the year.
Previous winners offer a sense of the award's geography and reach. Lameroo took the title in 2025, Penola in 2024, Wudinna in 2023, Mypolonga in 2022, Kimba in 2021, Pinnaroo in 2020, and Cleve in 2019. These towns span the state—from the Limestone Coast to the Eyre Peninsula to the Murraylands—suggesting that the award rotates attention across different agricultural zones rather than clustering around any single region.
The full roster of nominees runs to nearly one hundred towns, each with its own agricultural story. Some are well-known regional hubs like Gawler, Murray Bridge, and Renmark. Others are smaller centres whose names are familiar mainly to people who live nearby or pass through on rural roads. The list includes places like Coffin Bay on the Eyre Peninsula, known for oyster farming; Coonawarra in the Limestone Coast, famous for wine; and Strathalbyn in the Fleurieu, a historic farming town. Voters can cast their ballot online, and the process invites South Australians to think about which of these communities best deserves recognition for holding together the agricultural traditions and values that define the state's regional identity.
Notable Quotes
About celebrating our vibrant regional communities and acknowledging their resilience, community values, and commitment to delivering the goods and services we so often rely on— Primary Industries and Regional Development Minister Clare Scriven
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why does a state need to vote on which agricultural town is the "best" one? Isn't that a bit arbitrary?
It's less about declaring an objective winner and more about directing attention. These towns don't get much media coverage or state recognition most of the time. The award is a way of saying: we see you, we value what you do, and we want others to notice too.
But ninety towns competing for one title—that means eighty-nine lose. How does that feel in a small community?
Fair point. But the structure softens it. You're not just a loser if you don't win—you're part of a statewide conversation about what agricultural communities mean. And the judges visit the top three finalists, so even making it that far brings state officials and media to your town.
Who actually votes? Is this a popularity contest or does it measure something real about agricultural vitality?
It's open to the public, so yes, it's partly a popularity contest. But the public voting is just the first filter. The real assessment happens when the independent judges read submissions and visit towns in person. They're looking for evidence of farming heritage, resilience, community spirit—things you can't fake in a written submission or a day-long visit.
Eight years in, has this award actually changed anything for the towns that win?
That's the question nobody asks. The award brings attention and prestige, which can help with tourism and regional pride. But whether it translates into investment, population retention, or economic growth—I don't know. The award celebrates what's already there. It doesn't necessarily create new opportunities.
So it's symbolic.
Mostly, yes. But symbols matter in rural communities. Recognition from the state, a visit from judges, media coverage—these things affirm that your town's work is valued. In places where people often feel overlooked, that's not nothing.