2014 RBC Top 25 Canadian Immigrant Awards Opens Call for Nominations

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - Jan. 7, 2014) - Canadian Immigrant magazine is pleased to announce the call for nominations for the RBC Top 25 Canadian Immigrant Awards of 2014.

For the sixth year, Canadian Immigrant magazine and title sponsor RBC want to recognize and celebrate the stories and achievements of outstanding Canadian immigrants who inspire newcomers and Canadians alike. Associate sponsor Chevrolet is also back on board for the second year.

"Who inspires you? That's the question we're asking," said Margaret Jetelina, editor of Canadian Immigrant. "We want to share the stories of immigrants from every corner of the country who have chosen Canada as their home and made it better for being here. We need your help in uncovering these inspiring people."

Some of the winners from previous years include dancer/choreographer Wen Wei Wang, entrepreneur and community leader Zahra Al-Harazi, NBA superstar Steve Nash, former Governor General of Canada Adrienne Clarkson and many more, including entrepreneurs, artists and community volunteers.

This national people's choice award is unique in that it allows Canadians to first nominate and then vote directly for individuals who have made a difference since their arrival in Canada. More than 31,000 votes from across Canada were cast in the 2013 awards program.

"Nominating someone as a top Canadian immigrant provides people with an opportunity to recognize role models who have made a difference in, or who have made a significant contribution to this country," said Christine Shisler, Director, Multicultural Markets, RBC. "We have seen some incredible past winners who have made significant contributions, and we can't wait to hear this year's motivating and inspiring stories."

A nominee can be someone who has moved to Canada and, since immigrating, has contributed to the diversity and success of this country and/or its people. Achievements can be either professional or personal. Nominees must hold landed immigrant (Permanent Resident) or citizen status in Canada and must reside in Canada.

"The RBC Top 25 Canadian Immigrant Awards recognize people who have shared their passions for Canada as they earned significant achievements and realized their dreams," said John Roth, Vice President for Chevrolet in Canada. "The Chevrolet Ingenuity Award will further recognize the efforts of a truly inspirational individual."

Nominations can be made by visiting canadianimmigrant.ca/rbctop25 until February 27, 2014, 11:59 pm EST. A distinguished panel of judges will review all nominees and present a list of 75 finalists who will be profiled online in March, after which all Canadians can vote for their favourite nominees.

The 25 winners will be announced in June 2014, and will be recognized in the July print edition of Canadian Immigrant magazine and online at canadianimmigrant.ca. Winners will also receive a commemorative plaque and $500 towards a charity of their choice provided by RBC. Chevrolet will once again be selecting one winner for its special recognition: the Chevrolet Ingenuity Award. This year's media partners are the Toronto Star, Metro, CBC, Sing Tao and South Asian Focus.

About Canadian Immigrant

Attracting more than 400,000 readers each month and over 100,000 visitors a month online, Canadian Immigrant is a national magazine, distributed in Toronto, Vancouver and in key centres across the country, which helps new Canadians build a successful life and home in Canada. Its mandate to inform, educate and motivate provides easy-to-access content for newcomers looking for information from careers, education and settling in to culture and business. Our website, canadianimmigrant.ca, offers daily editorial, forums, tools and resources to further help newcomers across Canada. Canadian Immigrant is a division of Metroland Media Group, a dynamic media company with more than 100 community and daily newspapers in print and online, as well as innovative websites including wheels.ca, goldbook.ca, flyerland.ca and localwork.ca.

ABOUT RBC

Royal Bank of Canada (TSX:RY)(NYSE:RY) is Canada's largest bank and one of the largest banks in the world, based on market capitalization. We are one of North America's leading diversified financial services companies, and provide personal and commercial banking, wealth management services, insurance, investor services and capital markets products and services on a global basis. We employ approximately 79,000 full- and part-time employees who serve more than 15 million personal, business, public sector and institutional clients through offices in Canada, the U.S. and 44 other countries. For more information, please visit rbc.com.

RBC supports a broad range of community initiatives through donations, sponsorships and employee volunteer activities. In 2012, we contributed more than $95 million to causes worldwide, including donations and community investments of more than $64 million and $31 million in sponsorships.