Hannah Diviney a finalist in Women of the Future Awards

The awards, run by Women's Weekly, recognise Australian women aged 18-34 with a charity, innovation idea or business that aims to bring positive change to the lives of others.

Ms Diviney, 22, from Penshurst, was diagnosed with cerebral palsy when was just 12 weeks old, and had always questioned why she never saw people like her in films or on television.

Last September, she launched a change.org petition called Create a Disney Princess with Disabilities and it now has over 45,000 signatures from around the world.

Ms Diviney's crusade to increase the visibility of marginalised women and girls, particularly those with disabilities, has attracted the attention of Reese Witherspoon's Hello Sunshine media brand.

Hello Sunshine undertook a social media collaboration with a global publication platform that Ms Diviney and six other activists set-up called Missing Perspectives, which aims to address the marginalisation of young women in news coverage and decision-making around the world.

Ms Diviney said winning the Women of the Future Awards would help her fund advocacy workshops for women and girls across the country, teaching them journalist skills, the power of owning their own story and having a voice.

"It would mean a lot to me, both personally and as a disability advocate and as a disabled woman," Ms Diviney told the Leader.

Since launching during lockdown earlier this year, Missing Perspectives has grown to showcase the perspectives through written works of young females in over 40 countries and readers in over 100.

"We want to create a space where these women's stories can be heard. All our writers are women and girls, we're very specific in elevating the experiences of marginalised teens and girls," Ms Diviney said.

Has Ms Diviney heard from Disney about the request in her petition?

"Apparently Disney Australia knows who I am but I haven't been contacted directly. That would be amazing," she said.

The panel of Women of the Future Awards judges, who will announce the winner at a ceremony in December, include Ita Buttrose, Yasmin Poole, Julie Bishop and Tanya Plibersek.