TORONTO, Jan. 10, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- With around 350,000 immigrants coming to Canada annually*, Canada stands as an extraordinary example for welcoming immigrants and refugees. Immigrants increasingly make-up a large portion of our population and have made – and continue to make – immeasurable contributions to the Canadian economy, Canadian society and Canada overall.
For more than a decade, the RBC Top 25 Canadian Immigrant Awards program has been a leader in sharing and celebrating inspiring stories of immigrants. The Top 25 are the only national awards that celebrate immigrant success: its winners represent the incredible achievements that immigrants make in Canada every day.
It’s Time to Nominate for the 2020 Awards!
Canadian Immigrant and title sponsor Royal Bank of Canada are now calling on all Canadians to nominate an immigrant or refugee who has an inspirational story to share at www.canadianimmigrant.ca/rbctop25.
From rags to riches, from trauma to triumph, the stories of immigrants to Canada are impactful and inspiring. Immigrants who have been honoured with this prestigious national award in past years include spoken word poet Wali Shah, TV icon Monika Deol, celebrity restaurateur Vikram Vij, prima ballerina Chan Hon Goh, philanthropist John Volken and many unsung heroes who have demonstrated incredible contributions in their communities and for the country.
“At Canadian Immigrant, our goal is to support newcomers succeed in their new home. One of the ways we do this is by sharing immigrant success stories. Through the RBC Top 25 Canadian Immigrant Awards, we put the spotlight on some very inspiring people who are shaping this country,” said Ramya Ramanathan, Editor of Canadian Immigrant, a national multimedia platform and producer of the awards.
“RBC is honoured to be a part of the RBC Canadian Immigrant Awards to celebrate the outstanding accomplishments that immigrants have made in this great country,” said Amit Sadhu, Vice President, Newcomer Strategy, RBC. “These awards have become a prominent fixture to recognize immigrants and their importance to Canada. RBC has a longstanding commitment to immigrant success in Canada and our involvement in these awards enables us to embody this commitment in a very meaningful way.”
Eligibility Criteria
A nominee can be anyone who has immigrated to Canada and has since contributed to the success and uplifting of this country and/or its people. Achievements can be either professional or personal. Nominees must be aged 15 or older, hold landed immigrant (permanent resident) or citizen status in Canada, and reside in Canada.
RBC Entrepreneur Award
This will be the sixth consecutive year that one of the Top 25 winners will also be selected for the additional RBC Entrepreneur Award, honouring one of the Top 25 who has demonstrated entrepreneurial excellence in business. No additional application is required to apply for this award.
Youth Award
For the fourth consecutive year, one of the Top 25 will be awarded the additional Youth Award, which recognizes young immigrants between the ages of 15 and 30 who are making a difference through achievement and/or service, and who exhibit great potential as long-term contributors to Canada. No additional application is required to apply for this award.
Settlement Agency Award
Canadian Immigrant and RBC are also happy to announce the return of the Settlement Agency Award for its third year. This award recognizes the amazing work immigrant settlement agencies are doing to help newcomers integrate and succeed in Canada. Concurrent with the RBC Top 25 Awards, we are now accepting nominations for the top immigrant settlement agencies in your community at www.canadianimmigrant.ca/rbcsettlementaward.
One agency will be selected to receive the Settlement Agency Award for 2020 after an online voting process. Last year’s winner was Brampton Multicultural Community Centre, a not-for-profit organization serving the Greater Toronto Region for more than 35 years.
Nomination Process
Nominations can be made at www.canadianimmigrant.ca/rbctop25 until February 21, 2020, 11:59 p.m. EST. A distinguished panel of judges made up of past winners will review all nominees and present a list of 75 finalists who will be announced in March, after which all Canadians can vote for their favourite nominees. The 25 winners will be announced in July 2020 in Canadian Immigrant and online at CanadianImmigrant.ca. Winners will receive a commemorative plaque and a $500 donation to a charity of their choice provided by RBC. Media partners include Toronto Star, StarMetroland and Sing Tao.
About Canadian Immigrant
Attracting more than 400,000 readers each month and over 100,000 visitors a month online, Canadian Immigrant is a national multimedia platform to help immigrants succeed in Canada, with content, resources and events on careers, education and settlement. Canadian Immigrant is the producer of the cross-country Canadian Immigrant Fairs. 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, save.ca and localwork.ca. Learn more at canadianimmigrant.ca.
About RBC
Royal Bank of Canada is a global financial institution with a purpose-driven, principles-led approach to delivering leading performance. Our success comes from the 85,000+ employees who bring our vision, values and strategy to life so we can help our clients thrive and communities prosper. As Canada’s biggest bank, and one of the largest in the world based on market capitalization, we have a diversified business model with a focus on innovation and providing exceptional experiences to 17 million clients in Canada, the U.S. and 34 other countries. Learn more at rbc.com.
We are proud to support a broad range of community initiatives through donations, community investments and employee volunteer activities. See how at rbc.com/community-social-impact.
For more information, contact:
Canadian Immigrant
Laura Jackman, 905-273-8160, ljackman@metroland.com
RBC
Cory Fisher, 647-339-9521, cory.fisher@rbc.com
*Source: Federal immigration levels plan 2019-2021