Entries for the awards will close on Monday, October 3, and Mr Fry urged businesses, public and not-for-profit organisations, together with the local councils of the Northern Inland NSW region to submit entries.

 “Innovation isn’t invention, you can be addressing community or client needs in a better, new way, and that should be recognised,” Mr Fry said.

“We have many organisations and businesses, even local councils, who are thinking outside the box and coming up with different approaches and better outcomes as a result.”

Mr Fry said they were stories that should be told more often.

“In regional Australia, people don’t blow their own trumpet enough,” he said.

 “That whole negative cliche sort of holds us back from doing that, but actually getting the positive stories out there has so many benefits for our local communities and our regional economies.”

Mr Fry said people were being asked to enter the awards, not nominate others for categories that include: Agriculture / Horticulture and associated services; Health, Aged Care and Disability Services; Retail, Tourism and Leisure; Professional and Government services; Manufacturing and Engineering and Research and Education.

“Because we’re asking people to enter, we find that almost every entry the judges look at is a winner,” Mr Fry said.

“If we get close to 60 entries from around the region and everything is a story worth telling and being heard.”

Awards entry forms can be downloaded from the website. There is no entry fee, but there is the chance to win a fantastic marketing tool for business organisations.