Cast Your Vote: 2018 RBC Top 25 Canadian Immigrant Awards

It’s Canada’s turn to choose 25 of our nation’s most inspiring immigrants


TORONTO, March 29, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- It’s time to vote for the 10th annual RBC Top 25 Canadian Immigrant Award winners. Canadian Immigrant Magazine has opened the national online voting portal and is inviting all Canadians to vote for their favourite(s) among the 75 finalists.

This coveted award recognizes and celebrates the untold stories of Canadian immigrants who have made a significant contribution to Canada. Returning in 2018 are special honours for a standout Youth and Entrepreneur, and new this year is the Settlement Agency Award; recognizing the impact these agencies have in helping newcomers succeed. For the first time, the RBC Top 25 Canadian Immigrant Awards will crown one settlement agency winner based on Canada’s votes! The award program is proudly supported by title sponsor RBC Royal Bank.

Our past winners have been examples of true nation builders, from entrepreneurs to artists, academics, community volunteers, sports heroes, philanthropists, inventors and visionaries, from across Canada. Their motivations, circumstances and timing for coming to Canada are as varied as their backgrounds. Some fled strife in their home countries, while others chose to gain higher education; some arrived as young children, while others arrived as adults with only a few hundred dollars in their pocket.

Nonetheless, each of the winners’ stories shares a common theme: rising to a challenge and using that opportunity to make Canada a better place for all. This year is no different.

“Canada is a global leader in diversity and immigration, and these awards are a prime example of that,” says Margaret Jetelina, editor of Canadian Immigrant. “These 75 finalists are all amazing new Canadians, who have all made Canada better by adopting this country as their own.”

The hundreds of nominations received were reviewed by a judging panel composed of past winners. The entries were narrowed to a shortlist of 75 finalists who represent diverse ethnic communities, cities and industries across Canada.

“Over the past 10 years, the RBC Top 25 Canadian Immigrant Awards have shone the light on some of Canada’s most inspiring newcomers,” says Ivy Chiu, Senior Director, Newcomer Client Strategy at RBC. “We invite you to cast your vote online, help us choose this year’s winners, and join us in celebrating their outstanding achievements.”

The public can now vote for up to three of their favourite finalists online at www.canadianimmigrant.ca/rbctop25 until May 17, 2018.

For the fourth year, title sponsor RBC will also recognize one of the 25 winners who demonstrate excellence in business with the RBC Entrepreneur Award. And for the second year, the Youth Award will recognize the achievements of immigrant youth (between ages 15 and 30) who are making a difference in their adopted country and show great potential in further building this nation. Similar to our RBC Entrepreneur Award, the Youth Award will be an additional honour given to one of the RBC Top 25 winners. No separate votes are required.

The award winners will be announced on June 19, 2018 in Toronto and June 27, 2018 in Vancouver. They will be recognized on www.canadianimmigrant.ca and in Canadian Immigrant magazine. Each winner will also receive a commemorative plaque and $500 toward a charity of their choice provided by RBC. This year’s media partners are CityTV, Toronto Star, Metro Newspaper, Metroland Community papers, Sing Tao and OMNI Television.

About Canadian Immigrant

Canadian Immigrant is a national multimedia platform to help immigrants succeed in Canada by providing the information, inspiration and connections they need through digital, print, events and awards. We provide inspiring and informative content for newcomers looking for information on careers, education and settling in through our website, canadianimmigrant.ca, and our print magazine, strategically published four times a year. Canadian Immigrant is a division of Metroland Media Group Limited, 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, Travelalerts.ca and localwork.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 81,000+ 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 our 16 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 http://www.rbc.com/community-sustainability/.

For more information, contact:

Canadian Immigrant
Sanjay Agnihotri, 905-273-8153, sagnihotri@metroland.com

RBC
Sophie Connor, 647-823-4790, sophie.connor@rbc.com

®Trademark of Royal Bank of Canada.