Loch Hart music festival founder and Colac native Jayden Bath has been named as one of the Music Network's prestigious 30 Under 30 Awards.
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After being shortlisted in a pool of 50 finalists in the 'Entrepreneurs and Innovators' category, Mr Bath was publicly voted in second place out of the group of 30 winners.
"It is a surreal time to be celebrating national recognition," he said.
"Sadly, but as you would expect, the awards night that was to be hosted in Sydney later this month has been canceled.
"Regardless, it is awesome to be alongside such accomplished peers.
"The festival is only entering its third year. It's awesome to think it's been recognised as an established and industry-leading festival."
Mr Bath submitted his application for the awards about a month ago with no expectations of a result.
He said one of the standout initiatives of the Loch Hart music festival in its category was its sustainability aspects.
After the 2019 event, less than five household bins of landfill were produced over the course of the three-day camping festival which attracted almost 1000 revellers.
"Sustainability was always at the back of mind when planning the festival but I never set out to run it as a leader in that space," Mr Bath said.
"I set out to do the right thing and accomplish what I and my friends want to see in a festival.
"Now it's gotten to the point where I don't understand why other festivals don't have reusable crockery or have banned single-use items.
"I want other festivals to adopt this mantra as it definitely makes us stand out.
"I'm a genuine believer that people come away from the festival with how easy it is to sustainable."
Pencil Loch Hart into your calendar for November 20-22, however the event is subject to change depending on coronavirus regulations.
"The festival is genuinely one of the most community feeling places," Mr Bath said.
"I've described it before as it feels like your best friends house party; everyone talks, you camp next to each other and it's very intimate while being in one of the most unique picturesque locations.
"It is hard to believe this time last year we had booked a handful of bands for Loch Hart 2019, and this year we haven't booked any.
"However, we are still watching this all unfold, listening to heaps of new music, and will be ready to go as soon as restrictions lift."
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