"The Palmies"Inaugurated in 2009 as the Gold Coast Area Theatre Awards and now regarded as the highlight of the performance year in S.E. Queensland and Northern NSW, the Awards acknowledge the huge contribution made to the area's entertainment life, by awarding participants in shows staged by local community theatre groups and high schools and colleges during the year.

A panel of judges visits dozens of musicals and plays staged by local companies in a catchment area encompassing Redcliffe in the north, Ballina in the south and Toowoomba and Ipswich in the west - and awards winners in categories covering set, costume, lighting and sound design, music and show direction, leads and support actors and actresses and many others.