The Regional Online Heroes 2016 competition is a chance for regional businesses to gain nationwide attention and advice from leading innovators and small business experts, such as Google.

Being a Regional Online Hero means anything from using online marketing  to attract interstate customers, expanding from a traditional bricks and mortar store to selling online, or managing a team across borders using shared documents on the cloud.

Regional Australia Institute CEO Jack Archer said the internet had transformed how regional businesses were operating.

“We want to identify businesses that are proving location is no barrier and help them to achieve even greater success,” he said.

Google Australia and the Regional Australia Institute partnered up for the Regional Online Heroes competition.

Google Australia director of small business John Ball said he knew many regional businesses that were “doing great things” online.

“Research suggests that digitally engaged small businesses are more likely to be growing, which is great news for jobs and local communities,” he said.

Ten finalists will be flown from their nearest regional airport to Sydney, for a masterclass at Google HQ. The masterclass will include lessons in online marketing, tips on creating a great office culture, including to encourage innovation and ideas on how to amplify messages in the media.

Entries close midnight October 28.

To find out more, visit http://www.regionalaustralia.org.au/regionalonlineheroes2016.