South Australia’s regions offer a wellspring of stories that capture the leadership, innovation, successes, community spirit and resilience of these communities and their local industries.

The South Australian Regional Showcase Awards aim to bring these stories to statewide, national and international audiences and celebrate the people behind them, with the awards supported by the Department of Primary Industries and Regions and Seniors Card, and run by the publisher of InDaily, Solstice Media.

InDaily Chief of Staff Jim Plouffe said regional South Australia was the state’s “heartbeat”.

“We cover regional news in InDaily because it is important for people in Adelaide to understand that the state’s economy is based on the hard work of people living across the state, from farmers to miners to the people who support these industries,” Plouffe said.

The ideas for stories can come from tips from the public.

“Stories about the hardworking people, usually volunteers, who help keep our regional towns alive are my favourite,” Plouffe said.

“Yarns about the locals who support the sports clubs or look out for others with less advantages really are the lifeblood of Regional Showcase.”

A judging panel determines the winners of five of the award categories: Regional Resilience, Meaningful Connections, Business Innovation, Lifelong Learning, and Community Empowerment.

While the People’s Choice Award is given to the most popular story, as determined by the public vote.

Last year’s winner was a story on the 5431 Collective, an Orroroo shop that has become a community hub for the town.

Resilience is often a theme of life in the regions and Plouffe said for audiences living in cities this offered both insight and an opportunity for self-reflection.

“Our Adelaide readers get a sense of community from our regional coverage,” he said.

“And I’d imagine there is some longing for this connection – how a town can rally around a cause and work toward a positive outcome.”

Vote for your favourite regional story.