Calling all Grade 12 students! Take Control of Your Future with one of 30 RBC scholarships as we celebrate Black History Month

TORONTO, Oct. 10, 2017 /CNW/ - As part of the celebrations for the upcoming Black History Month, the Royal Bank of Canada today announced a call for submissions for the 2018 RBC Black History Month Student Essay Competition. This year there are 30 available scholarships, including three top prizes of $5,000, $2,500 and $1,500.

The competition is open to grade 12 students who are applying to post-secondary school for the 2018/19 academic year. It asks students to learn about and share their thoughts on how black Canadians have helped to define Canada's diverse heritage and identity through their achievements and contributions to the broader society.

Celebrating the past, present and future contributions of black Canadians, the competition, now in its ninth year, has grown from a grassroots endeavor to a national scholarship competition, and also helps to offset the climbing costs of post-secondary education in Canada.

"Last year we had more entries than ever, and the quality of the content was so strong that I am really looking forward to reading the work of this year's students," said Kris Depencier, Greater Toronto Regional President, RBC. "As a mother of a first year university student, I know the cost of tuition alone is steep, and this scholarship program gives students from across the country the opportunity to offset some of those costs and remove any barriers that might keep them from reaching their goals."

The competition will be judged by a jury from across Canada, and the winners will be announced on February 9, 2018. Essays should be 750 words or less and must be submitted by December 1, 2017. Full details can be found online at www.rbc.com/essay.

Winners will be celebrated during Black History Month, when all Canadians are invited to participate in festivities across the country.

ABOUT RBC

Royal Bank of Canada is Canada's largest bank, and one of 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, insurance, investor services and capital markets products and services on a global basis. We have approximately 81,000 full- and part-time employees who serve more than 16 million personal, business, public sector and institutional clients through offices in Canada, the U.S. and 35 other countries. For more information, please visit rbc.com.‎

RBC helps communities prosper, supporting a broad range of community initiatives through donations, community investments and employee volunteer activities. For more information please see: http://www.rbc.com/community-sustainability/.

SOURCE RBC Royal Bank - Public Affairs & Community Relations

For further information: Ciaran Dickson, RBC, 416-313-7947, [e-mail]