This year's Queensland Country Life Miss Showgirl has praised the competition for bringing together young women from all facets of life.
Judges had a tough job choosing a winner from the 11 state finalists last week, eventually naming Thangool's Clare Webb to represent the showgirl movement for the next 12 months.
Speaking after the announcement, Ms Webb said she was overwhelmed and excited by the opportunities ahead of her.
"Within the next 12 months I hope to contribute more to my local show in Monto, and promote and attend agricultural shows while connecting with the other 10 state finalists from across Queensland who I have gotten to know during the course of the Miss Showgirl program," she said.
"I also hope to continue to strengthen relationships with people within the show movement and agricultural industry, in order to convey our message more effectively to bridge the divide between city and country and also connect the older and younger generations."
Ms Webb said she hoped more young women would put their hand up and have a go.
"The Miss Showgirl program allows more opportunity than you would ever begin to imagine," she said.
"This program has allowed all 11 of us girls to gain invaluable friendships, connections and skills that will be useful for the rest of our lives.
"It's not a beauty pageant, it's a platform that connects young women from all facets of life, with varying interests, coming together to celebrate an interest in Queensland Ag Shows."
Growing up on a cattle property in central Queensland and with a passion for agriculture, Ms Webb said she was excited about the future of the industry.
"While the industry has a very traditional reputation, women are becoming more commonly recognised within the industry as they leave a huge impression on the industry in numerous ways.
"This allows more and more women to be encouraged to participate in agriculture and contribute to the industry on a larger scale more willingly."
Since graduating from the University of Queensland, Ms Webb has found herself working in the regenerative agriculture field.
"Regenerative agricultural practices are very important to the future of agriculture as employing these practices allows the land to be improving whilst ensuring that it will be prosperous for many generations to come," she said.
"If we don't start appreciating the great landscapes we are utilising for primary production, we will not reap the rewards in the future."
The strength of young female voices from rural communities was on show at the Ekka last week, in the Queensland Country Life Miss Showgirl competition.
The judging panel struggled to separate the group of 11 finalists, saying they were blown away by the calibre of the young women.
Representing the South West Queensland Sub Chamber, Brooke Currie was named 2019 Queensland Country Life Miss Showgirl runner up.
As social worker based in Roma, Ms Currie said moving to the Taroom region to be with her partner had given her a first-hand view of why country shows are an important part of the fabric of rural communities.
"Country shows are a great opportunity for people from out of town to come in and mingle with people they may not get to see all the time," she said.
"Particularly for farmers who may do a lot of their work in isolation, attending the show is an important part of remaining connected with your town and the people who live there."
Lyndal Tuttle, Clermont, was voted Miss Popular by her fellow finalists.
Born and raised in the Clermont area, Ms Tuttle is from a farming family who are incredibly community-minded.
This drive to provide the best for her community has seen her start her own aged care and disability business, Cardal Care, which provides care to people in need in her rural area.
Ms Tuttle said for her hometown, the show was the "event of the year" and she was proud to represent her region.