Peak Hill, Bourke, Cowra through to Sydney in Young Rural Women of the Year competition

The program aims to find the ambassador for the next 12 months to promote the Sydney Royal Show and agricultural shows of NSW, as well as promoting the importance and contribution of women to rural communities.

The evening's compere, a former state level young women competitor herself, Lyndsey Douglas, said the program would, broadly, "identify and develop regional women and the benefit of that program is not only for themselves and their own personal benefit, but their local show societies and their communities".

"And along the way, anyone who has met a young women candidate in the past, can attest that their interviewing, presenting, networking skills and their overall confidence improves dramatically over their one year tenure and into the future."

Bourke Show's Lilly Hand, Cowra Show's Marta Sarova and Peak Hill's Molly Wright were selected from a field of 19 zone finalists to compete at the state level at Sydney Royal Easter Show in April.

Of the three to proceed to Sydney, Molly Wright works as the livestock manager at "Bundy Downs", Peak Hill, a family operation with cropping and sheep, Marta Sarova, Cowra, works as a real estate agent (property manager) and bartender, and Lilly Hand works as an early childhood educator with a mobile preschool, as well as a waitress.

Lilly travels across large areas of the far north of the state visiting remote, often disadvantaged children to make sure they get an opportuity at early education.

"It's the most amazing job ever, I see so many beautiful children each week ... we are slowly but surely getting in as much early intervention as we can, not only with the rural remote children but the indigenous children in our community," she said.

"A lot of the children in our community do not have access to education as their parents cannot afford clothes, shoes, or to even send their children to school, so our job is to go out and bring school to them."

Marta, meanwhile, only moved to Cowra a few years ago at the age of 17 to start a new life and has been adopted by the local community in a way she says would be unlikely in the South Coast city which she left behind.

"I moved there when I was 17 years old on my own to start a new life. I was from Wollongong originally and moved down to Cowra ... it was the best decision I've made. I've had such a supportive community around me - I don't necessarily have the support network or family behind me," she said.

Already well on her way to a career in real estate, Marta was keen to complete her training and establish herself in property retail in the Cowra area.

Molly also has her hands full. She runs the family's livestock program in what is a relatively large-scale mixed farming operation.

Her role includes everything from lambing, joining and shearing while also helping to keep the cropping program moving when extra hands are required on that side of the business.

She said market volatility was possibly the greatest challenge in farming at the moment.

"As much as you can get caught up in your own little world checking with the neighbours how much rain you've had for the week ... there is a lot of pressure from overseas in the international markets, like the Russian invasion in Ukraine (and how it) has affected our grain prices, our oil, fuel, fertiliser ... it's a very risky business, but very rewarding," she said.

The other representatives included Grace Ranger, Bedgerabong; Elise Dukes, Forbes; Brielle Thornton, Eugowra; Rebecca Bicket, Parkes; Haidee Yeomans, Condobolin; Lauren Moody, Narromine; Heather Walker, Grenfell; Anna Hunter, Yeoval; Niamh Hutchinson, Dubbo; Miranda Eyb, Orange; Emily Turnbull, Warren; Amelia Bryant, Wellington; Kate Banks, Gilgandra; Emma Pryse Jones, Blayney; Laura Van Uum, Bathurst; and, Edwina Knight, Coonamble.

The zone judging was hosted by Condobolin Show Society, with the presentations and dinner held in the community's relatively new, purpose-built pavilion.

The judges included Agshows NSW president Tim Capp, the 2020 The Land Sydney Royal Showgirl (now called Young Women competition) second runner up Kate Webster, and The Land editor Andrew Norris.