For the second year in a row, two Illawarra councils are facing off against each other for a statewide award.
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Shellharbour City and Kiama Municipal councils are both finalists in the NSW Top Tourism Town Awards, run by Business NSW.
Shellharbour was a finalist last year, alongside Wollongong City Council, though both Illawarra councils lost out to Newcastle.
Wollongong, however, did manage to pick up third place.
This year, Shellharbour is vying with Kiama for the title of Top Tourism Town with a population of more than 5000.
There are a few other towns in the race as well - including Ulladulla, Bathurst and last year's winner in Newcastle.
Locals are allowed to vote for their home town, and Shellharbour Mayor Chris Homer urged residents to cast a vote to help get them over the line.
"I'm not surprised at all that Shellharbour has been named as a finalist again," Mayor Homer said.
"We only narrowly missed out on the top gong last year, so I encourage everyone to vote for our amazing city."
His Kiama counterpart Neil Reilly wanted to see locals get out and vote for the seaside town.
"I'd say this is exciting, but no surprise to anyone who has spent any time here," Mayor Reilly said.
"It's just further confirmation of what our residents and regular visitors have known for a long time.
"Kiama holds a special place in the hearts of many people, from all corners of our state, country, and indeed the world, and this recognition underscores that sentiment."
Entrants had to submit a bid, that included an itinerary for visitors.
Kiama tapped into the nostalgia of people heading to the town for family holidays during summer, naming the food and natural wonders of the hinterland as drawcards.
Shellharbour's bid mentioned Killalea, a visit to the HARS Museum at Shellharbour Airport and the "jewel in the crown" that is the marina.
People have until May 13 to cast their vote and winners will be announced at the 2024 LGNSW Destination and Visitor Economy Conference at the end of the month.
Meanwhile, Wollongong City Council won the Local Government category of the Welcoming Cities Award for Change.
The award aims to strengthen community bonds with newly arrived people from other cultures and countries.
The council was chosen for its work in running water safety education programs for multicultural communities, which began in 2012 as a response to a spate of drownings of former refugees and international students.
"Welcoming Cities commends Wollongong for its long and continuing commitment to water safety, in the Wollongong municipality and more broadly, so everyone can safely enjoy the water," the group said.
The council lifeguards and Community Development team worked with aquatic services and local multicultural organisations to establish the Illawarra Multicultural Water Safety Network, which still operates to this day.
"While council has offered general water safety programs for the wider community for decades," Lord Mayor Gordon Bradbery said, "the network is a way we can better target and refine our safety initiatives to meet the needs of our multicultural communities.
"This work is incredibly important as migrants, international students, and refugees are an at-risk community of drowning deaths in Australia."
Glen Humphries
I'm an award-winning senior journalist with the Illawarra Mercury and have well over two decades' worth of experience in newspapers. I cover the three local councils in the Illawarra for the Mercury, state and federal politics, as well as writing for the TV guide. If I'm not writing, I'm reading.
I'm an award-winning senior journalist with the Illawarra Mercury and have well over two decades' worth of experience in newspapers. I cover the three local councils in the Illawarra for the Mercury, state and federal politics, as well as writing for the TV guide. If I'm not writing, I'm reading.
