posted by Karen HampsonFirstly, New Year's greetings to everyone. Best wishes for the last year of this decade, may 2010 be happy and prosperous.And what better way to start the year than by making the most of some interesting opportunities. Here are two awards we have found which we think are worth publicising. As part of the Farmer Voice Initiative, ALINe announced their Farmer Voice Innovation Awards in December. The key idea is linking management systems with farmer voices. So, they are looking for innovative methods of listening to farmers in a systematic way. With the awards, they aim to build learning around the question: How can managers make sure that agencies listen and respond enough to farmers at different stages of the program cycle? The deadline for applications is 29 January, 2010. Full details and application forms can be found on their website, which also has some interesting examples and information on this subject.  The next opportunity is the Prize for Women's Creativity in Rural Life, run by the Women's World Summit Foundation.  This has been running since 1994 and aims to honour the contribution women and women's groups make to improving the qualtiy of life in rural communities. The deadline for nominations is 31 March. Application details can be found on their site. Good luck! In 2010 we look forward to being inspired by the stories and people these awards will highlight.