THIS year's Bendigo Inventor Awards will focus on innovations to help emergency services and disaster management.
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Awards chairman Paul Chapman said the focus would give the awards "something to hang our hat on".
"We saw an opportunity to establish a point of difference," he said.
"There was an opportunity for the future. As far as I know there's no organisation in Australia offering awards for innovation in this field.
"This will give us an opportunity to expand our awards program into something much, much more significant."
Mr Chapman said he believed narrowing the focus of the awards would result in more and higher quality entries from Australia and around the world.
"The ultimate goal is let's get great products into the emergency services," he said.
"We believe we're onto something here; we believe it's going to grow.
"I reckon most certainly it will encourage international entries."
Mr Chapman said the goal of the awards this year was to lift its profile with the aim of becoming internationally known.
He said Bendigo was well placed to hold an awards event focused on emergency management and disaster relief.
"We've got the new hospital being built; we have fires each year; road accidents each year; and floods occasionally," he said.
"We wanted to find a way where we could assist our emergency services and ultimately, make the job easier for these people."
The Bendigo Inventor Awards already has a history of rewarding innovation in emergency services.
"What we have noticed for the first four or five years has been there's always something around emergency services or health," Mr Chapman said.
"It dawned on us that if we're going to establish a point of difference to other awards all over Australia, there was an opportunity there for us to occupy that space. This is the first of its kind in Australia."
Mr Chapman said innovation and invention was a big part of Bendigo's history.
The winner of last year's prize was Spring Hill inventor Alvin Clausen for his Fire Chief Ride-on Fire Trailer.
The device is a mobile firefighting machine which detects flames and activates sprinklers.
In 2012, Bendigo inventor and former volunteer firefighter Mike Taylor was shortlisted for his reusable Fair Air mask that protects fireys from radiant heat and smoke inhalation.
About 85 entries were received for last year's awards, 60 of which were shortlisted as finalists.
The winner takes home a $10,000 prize.
The awards are now open and close August 26.
The Bendigo Inventor Awards have run for five years.
For more information and how to enter, go to www.bendigo.vic.gov.au/inventor or the awards' Facebook page.