-- Voting begins for Person of the Year, who will be named at Positive Impact Awards gala of Hispanicize 2016 --

MIAMI, March 17, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Hispanicize, the nation’s premier gathering of Latino digital content creators, marketers, journalists, musicians, filmmakers and tech entrepreneurs, announced this year’s honorees for the Positive Impact Awards, a national program sponsored by Prudential Financial, Inc (NYSE:PRU). The Positive Impact Awards celebrate individuals who volunteer their time and resources to make a difference in the lives of Hispanic Americans across the country. Hispanicize 2016 Week is taking place April 4-8 in downtown Miami.

This year’s awards, hosted by CNN en Español host Ismael Cala and NBC UNIVERSO host Yarel Ramos, will honor four exemplary leaders who are making incredible strides in championing initiatives that promote community revitalization, STEM initiatives, professional development and financial literacy.

“It has never been more important to recognize the good deeds of Latinos in our nation,” said Manny Ruiz, founder and creative director of the Hispanicize event. “We received many heart-warming nominations for the Positive Impact Awards this year and cannot express how moving it is to learn about the compassion and determination of people in our community. Together with Prudential, we take great pride in creating a program that celebrates every-day heroes and disseminates their message of unity and accomplishment.”

The 2016 Positive Impact Award winners are:

-- Community Revitalization: Doniece Sandoval, Founder, Lava Mae

-- STEM: Rebecca Garcia, Founder, CoderDojo

-- Financial Education: Sarahi Espinoza Salamanca, Founder, DREAMer’s Roadmap

-- Professional Empowerment: Veronica Herrera, Culture Philanthropist and University of Tennessee Chattanooga professor

“We are proud to help shine a light on all of these outstanding individuals, whose efforts are so closely aligned with our work to promote financial education, and building assets for economic and social mobility. Each of this year’s winners are leaders making a difference in the lives of others in their own unique way,” said Mammen Verghis, vice president of Multicultural Consumer Marketing at Prudential.

The Positive Impact Awards were created in 2013 in honor of the late Louis Pagan, co-founder of Hispanicize and a well-known social media entrepreneur, who passed away suddenly in February 2013. Louis was widely known for his kindness and commitment to giving the community a voice through his vast social media networks. In the same way, the Positive Impact Awards recognize those who contribute selflessly for the betterment of their community.

This year’s honorable mentions included: Amelie Ramirez, San Antonio, TX; Ana Uribe-Ruiz, Menlo Park, CA; Gloria Rodriguez, Bronx, NY; Julissa Arce, Los Angeles, CA; Susana Baker, Miami, FL; Jeymy Idrovo Gonzalez, Frisco, TX; Detective Juan F. Sanchez, Miami Beach, FL; Antonia Hernandez, Los Angeles, CA; Teresa & Jose Hernandez, Newport Beach, CA; Sofia Maldonado, Laredo, TX; Joselito Gracia, Dayton, OH; Dante Alvarado-Leon, San Diego, CA.

Vote for Positive Impact Person of the Year

Beginning March 17, 2016, the public will have the chance to vote between the four winners for Positive Impact Person of the Year, who will be recognized during the Positive Impact Awards opening night gala of Hispanicize 2016. The opening night awards will take place on April 5 at 6:30 p.m. at the Intercontinental Miami Hotel. To vote for the all around Positive Impact Award Person of the Year visit: www.hispzpia.com.

For live updates on Prudential Financial activities taking place during Hispanicize follow the #PruPACT hashtag on Twitter.

Sponsorship Opportunities Available

Sponsorship information is available by contacting sponsorship@hispanicizeevent.com or calling 203.364.4779.

In addition to Prudential Financial, as of today, announced sponsors also include: Unilever, Carnival Corporation, Toyota, Que Rica Vida, Coca-Cola, General Mills, Kimberly-Clark Corporation, ViveMejor, Wells Fargo, State Farm, JetBlue Airways, KOA, Stitch Fix, Nestle’s La Lechera, Dominican Republic Tourism, MSNBC, NBC News, NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises, The Miami Herald Media Company, CNN en Español, Diario Las Americas, Fox News Latino, Kelley Blue Book, Savings.com, Comcast, Pinterest, Visit Philly, Alma, República, Sensis, BTL Network, IZEA, Paco Collective, BodenPR, Newlink Americas, Pinta, American Heart Association, the Calvert Foundation, Juan La Iguana, Raydr and the Jackson Health Foundation.

Additional media partners include: The Latino Startup Alliance, Black Tech Week, Hispanicize Wire, PRODU, El Sentinel, Hispanic PR Blog, the Hispanic Public Relations Association, Black Enterprise, Media Moves, Geoscape, iBlog Magazine and Digital Trends en Español.

To reserve a hotel room visit http://bit.ly/20wa0iM.

About Hispanicize 2016

Now in its seventh year, Hispanicize 2016 Week (www.HispanicizeEvent.com) (#Hispz16) is the iconic, largest annual event for Latino trendsetters and newsmakers in digital content creation, journalism, marketing, entertainment and tech entrepreneurship.

Hispanicize 2016 is expected to gather more than 3,000 of the nation’s most influential Latino professionals from the industries of digital content creation, journalism, music, marketing, film and business over five days. The event will take place in downtown Miami’s InterContinental hotel, April 4-8, 2016.

The Hispanicize event is a launch pad for creative endeavors, new products, technologies, marketing campaigns, films, books and more targeting Latinos in the U.S. and/or Puerto Rico.

The Hispanicize event can be found on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Hispanicize, Instagram (@HispanicizeEvent), Twitter and Periscope (@Hispanicize).

About Prudential

Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE:PRU), has operations in the United States, Asia, Europe, and Latin America. Prudential’s diverse and talented employees are committed to helping individual and institutional customers grow and protect their wealth through a variety of products and services, including life insurance, annuities, retirement-related services, mutual funds and investment management. In the U.S., Prudential’s iconic Rock symbol has stood for strength, stability, expertise and innovation for more than a century. For more information, please visit http://www.news.prudential.com/.