RBC Top 25 Canadian Immigrant Awards Celebrates 10th Anniversary

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Nominations are now open for the 10th annual awards program.

 TORONTO – Perseverance. Tenacity. Determination. These are just some of the words associated with the more than one in five Canadians born abroad and now call Canada home. For the past decade, the RBC® Top 25 Canadian Immigrant Awards have highlighted stories of success and inspiration made by Canadian immigrants who have demonstrated incredible contributions and achievements in their communities and for the country.

Is there an inspiring newcomer in your life? Do they have a story that should be heard and celebrated across Canada? Canadian Immigrant and Royal Bank of Canada are now calling on nominations for the 10th annual RBC Top 25 Canadian Immigrant Awards. With 2018 being the 10th anniversary, over 250 inspirational immigrants will have been recognized by this awards program over the last decade.

The awards program is presented by Canadian Immigrant, a national multimedia platform to help immigrants settle and succeed in Canada and has been proudly supported by founding and title sponsor Royal Bank of Canada since 2009.

The 2018 winners will be in good company. Past winners include two former Governor Generals of Canada, Adrienne Clarkson and Michaëlle Jean, national broadcaster Ian Hanomansing, star chef Vikram Vij, entrepreneur/film producer Ajay Virmani, and ballerina Chan Hon Goh, to name just a few.

“This is a very special year for the RBC Top 25 Canadian Immigrant Awards,” said Margaret Jetelina, editor of Canadian Immigrant. “Recognizing the contributions that immigrants make to Canada is important as our country’s population becomes more diverse than ever. Each year, the RBC Top 25 winners are very diverse in professional background and ancestry, but one thing they all have in common is a deep desire to give back to their adopted country.”

This will also be the fourth year that sponsor RBC selects one of the winners for the RBC Entrepreneur Award and the second year for the Youth Award, which recognizes the achievements of young immigrants (between 16 and 29) who are making a difference in their adopted country through achievement and/or service, and show great potential as long-term nation builders. Similar to our RBC Entrepreneur Award, the Youth Award will be an additional honour given to one of the RBC Top 25 winners. No special application process required.

Brand new this year is the Settlement Agency Award. Canadian Immigrant and RBC want to recognize the amazing work immigrant settlement agencies are doing to help newcomers integrate and succeed in Canada. Concurrent with the RBC Top 25 campaign, we invite nominations from across the country for the top immigrant settlement agencies in your community. A shortlist will be posted at www.canadianimmigrant.ca/rbctop25 for an online voting process. One agency will be selected to receive the Settlement Agency Award for 2018.

“These awards celebrate the significant contributions Canadian immigrants have made in communities across Canada,” said Ivy Chiu, Senior Director, Newcomer Strategy, RBC. “As we reflect on the amazing achievements we’ve seen over the past 10 years, we can look ahead and be proud of all that we have accomplished together, and all that we will in years to come.”

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 hold landed immigrant (permanent resident) or citizen status in Canada, and must reside in Canada.

Nominations can be made by visiting canadianimmigrant.ca/rbctop25 until February 26, 2018, 11:59 pm 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 June 2018 in print and online at canadianimmigrant.ca. Winners will also receive a commemorative plaque and $500 toward a charity of their choice provided by RBC. Media partners include Toronto Star, Metro and Sing Tao.