Bendigo residents have recognised each other's small acts of kindness through the inaugural Good Neighbour Competition, the winners of which were announced on Wednesday.

Run by the Long Gully Neighbourhood Centre, the competition aimed to encourage a sense of neighbourliness among the communities.

Organisers say winning neighbours all showed selfless care to those around them.

Read more: Why this group is seeking Bendigo's best neighbours

The centre's acting coordinator Kerry Parry said hearing the winners' stories made her believe the neighbourhood house had achieved its aim.

Winners included a set of neighbours who had nominated each other, without either knowing the other had done the same.

Two women who had lost their husbands in 2020 were also named, as was an older woman who'd been able to help a younger neighbour with advice about preserving fruit and vegetables.

Mrs Parry said a real effort to help people in need was the common thread among good neighbour nominations.

She said the winners were all genuinely caring, selfless, sacrificial, and always had their doors open for a chat.

For those nominated, it was often a surprise.

"There were actually some tears from some of them, because they were blown away that they had been nominated," Mrs Parry said.

"They didn't see what they'd been doing as significant, but they didn't realise that kindness means a lot to people."

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Mrs Parry said the competition was inspired by the 2021 Neighbourhood House Week's theme of community heroes during the COVID-19 pandemic.

She said the Long Gully house decided to bring that back to street level, so people could identify those in their own neighbourhood.

Mrs Parry said the awards had reinforced for her the power of the community, and the role neighbourhood houses could have in building those relationships.

She said the Long Gully house aimed to find the gold in every single person.

"In some ways I guess neighbourhood houses become the unsung heroes, because they're the ones that are quietly behind the scenes ... encouraging people to be the best they can be in their community," Mrs Parry said.

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