Without an inch or even a centimetre to spare, the Byron Bowling club was dressed up to the nines and packed with funsters on Saturday evening for The Echo's 40th Anniversary & Awards Celebration.

Ten years after creating an expanding audio archive of Australian authors reading their work before discussing it in an interview, Karena Wynn-Moylan has been nominated for a national award.

There is still time to get tickets to tonight’s 2025 Uniquely Byron Business Awards, the local business chamber says.

Member for Ballina Tamara Smith MP is calling on locals to nominate an outstanding older person for the NSW Seniors Festival Local Senior of the Year Awards, celebrating the invaluable contributions of seniors across the Ballina electorate.

Australia’s top scientists, innovators and educators have been recognised in the 2025 Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science.

Casino's Alex Synott has been named TAFE NSW Student of the Year and Health, Wellbeing and Human Services Student of the Year.

Bangalow musician Barry Ferrier (aka Dr Baz), a well-known face around the local entertainment scene, has had quite a run of success recently for his independent filmmaking and music video productions.

Last week Flickerfest's Mullumbimby screenings wrapped with the announcement of the Byron All Shorts winners, following the screening of the thirteen shortlisted films.

Nominated for not one but three separate awards in 2024's Ballina Shire Australia Day event is WardellCORE (Community Organised Resilience Effort), which has been instrumental in Wardell's ongoing recovery since the 2022 floods. The Echo caught up with Joel Orchard to find out more.

For this year's Australia Day Awards, Ballina Shire Council has received forty nominations across the seven categories of Young Citizen, Senior Citizen, Volunteer, Sporting Achievement, Environmental, Arts and Culture, and Community Event of 2023.