Community groups and charities across Moray are being urged to stake their claim in a £60,000 Scottish Government cash initiative.
Rural organisations around the region have until next Friday, April 22, to apply for a share in the newly launched Money for Moray budget grant scheme.
Pledges available range from £200 to £5,000 and applicants need to prove that their ideas will benefit the local economy.
Steering group member James Mackie said that, after all applications had been collected, it would be up to the people of Moray to decide who gets what.
Mr Mackie added: “The government needs to allocate the money by the end of May, and we’re having a public meeting later this month where people will vote on what groups they’d like to see win the larger donations.
“The main thing is simply that the application has to show some true positives for Moray.
“But it’s wide open as to what people can come up with, they can be as imaginative as they like.”
The scheme seeks to boost the region’s rural areas, and an important caveat in any application is that 80% of the money granted to any party must be spent on projects outwith towns.
Moray Council communities officer, Sylvia Jamieson, added: “We have had a huge variety of applications already, with a real geographic spread.
“People want to improve harbours, to spruce up certain areas to encourage visitors and to stage local events or festivals.
“What makes this special is that it’s the local people who decide who gets the money.”
Application forms are available from Moray Council’s offices on Elgin High Street.
Moray residents will be able to vote on which projects receive funding during a public meeting at Grant Hall in Rothes on Saturday, May 28.