2013 RBC Top 25 Canadian Immigrant Awards Opens Call for Nominations

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Jan. 10, 2013) - Canadian Immigrant magazine is pleased to announce the call for nominations for the RBC Top 25 Canadian Immigrant Awards of 2013. Building on a five-year partnership with Canadian Immigrant magazine, RBC is the title sponsor of this annual awards program that recognizes and celebrates the stories and achievements of outstanding Canadian immigrants who inspire newcomers and Canadians alike. The program is presented by Canadian Immigrant magazine and is proudly supported by the title sponsor RBC Royal Bank and associate sponsor Chevrolet.

"What qualifies someone to be a Top 25 Canadian Immigrant? Any immigrant who has made the decision to embrace Canada and make it a better place," said Margaret Jetelina, editor of Canadian Immigrant magazine. "More than that, they are sources of great inspiration to others in this country, which is why we want you to nominate someone who inspires you."

This national people's choice award is unique in that it allows Canadians to first nominate and then vote directly for individuals from all walks of life who have made a difference since their arrival in Canada. More than 28,000 votes from across Canada were cast in the 2012 awards program. Some of the winners from previous years include politician Olivia Chow, Dragons' Den's Robert Herjavec, wrestler Daniel Igali and many more, including entrepreneurs, artists and community volunteers.

"Nominating someone as a top Canadian immigrant presents an opportunity to recognize role models who have encouraged and motivated others and applaud those who have made significant contributions to this country," said Paul Sy, director, Multicultural Markets at RBC. "The winners from previous years were nothing short of inspirational and we know there are many more immigrants who deserve recognition for giving back to Canada."

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.

"The people that are recognized by the RBC Top 25 Canadian Immigrant Awards have a true passion for our country and have made remarkable achievements as they realize their Canadian dreams," said Marc Comeau, vice president, sales, service and marketing, General Motors of Canada. "We are pleased to have joined Canadian Immigrant Magazine to acknowledge these achievements."

Nominations can be made by visiting www.canadianimmigrant.ca/top25 until February 28, 2013. 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, 2013, and will be recognized in Canadian Immigrant magazine. They will also receive a commemorative plaque and $500 towards a charity of their choice provided by RBC. This year's media partners are the Toronto Star, Metro, Sing Tao and South Asian Focus.

About Canadian Immigrant and canadianimmigrant.ca

Attracting more than 287,000 readers each month and over 60,000 unique visits a month online, Canadian Immigrant is distributed in Toronto and Vancouver and 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 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 www.wheels.ca, www.goldbook.ca, www.flyerland.ca and www.localwork.ca.

About RBC

Royal Bank of Canada (TSX:RY)(NYSE:RY) and its subsidiaries operate under the master brand name RBC. We are Canada's largest bank as measured by assets and market capitalization, and among 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 wholesale banking on a global basis. We employ approximately 80,000 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 49 other countries. For more information, please visit rbc.com.