KYOGLE'S mayor wants young women to Think Big.

"Don't be cute, be competent," Danielle Mulholland said.

Nominated for the 2020 Telstra Businesswoman of the Year in the public sector and academia award, Ms Mulholland wants rural women to have the same choices for their future that metro women have.

"My purpose is to show young women in rural areas that the path to their future is not confined by their present circumstances or their traditional roles," she said.

"I want young women to Think Big, they can get married and have children or be prime minister.

"It's about choice."

Young women in the country were exposed to less influences than their city counterparts, she said, and being a female mayor she hoped would inspire the ambitions of other rural women.

As mayor, she is dedicated to her community and lobbies constantly for funding for the region.

Trust and respect were the foundations for strong leadership, she said.

The support of her husband Simon Dejoux is a huge help with his post graduate degree in public administration and supporting her at the many community events she attends as mayor.

Not knowing who nominated her for the award, she was selected in the top five out of 22,000 applications.

Ms Mulholland will attend the awards ceremony in April and plans to take showbags from the Kyogle LGA to showcase what the area offers.

If she could take all the young women with her, she would.

Mentoring, she said, makes a difference, having had several female mentors throughout her career.