TORONTO, ON - May 22, 2014 /CNW/ - With a combined total of more than 8,000 volunteer hours and a passion to serve their communities, 12 young people -- six from Canada and six internationally -- have been named winners of the 2013 Scotiabank Bright Future Awards. 

"We are thrilled to celebrate and recognize the winners of the second annual Scotiabank Bright Future Awards," says Barb Mason, Scotiabank's Chief Human Resources Officer. "These young people remind us that we can all have a big impact on our communities. That's why Scotiabank is proud to have these youth join us in our tradition of helping to create bright futures -- one community at a time."

Scotiabank congratulates the following winners:

Maximiliano Artigas, 20, Santiago, Chile
Saira Batasar, 23, Etobicoke, ON
Alejandro Campos, 23, Viña del Mar, Chile
Neville Charlton, 23, St. Catherine, Jamaica
Lauren Cuthbertson, 22, Lion's Bay, BC
Martin Rojas Dattwyler, 23, Valparaiso, Chile
Howard Feng, 18, Richmond Hill, ON
Britney Honore, 22, Roseau, Dominica
Barnabas Ngoga, 20, Regina, SK
Kush Patel, 17, Toronto, ON
Ignacia Picas, 17, Santiago, Chile
Alicia Thatcher, 20, Saskatoon, SK

Award winners get the opportunity to direct a CAD$2,500 Scotiabank donation to the charity of their choice and receive a tablet computer.

As part of the award criteria, winners were required to reside in a participating country, complete 100 hours of volunteerism in a minimum of three of the six Scotiabank Bright Future philanthropic pillars and submit an essay describing the impact of their volunteerism on charitable organizations, their community and themselves. Full award program details are available atwww.scotiabankbrightfutureawards.com.

Essays were reviewed by an international panel of jurors, including Veronica Lacey O.C., former President and CEO of The Learning Partnership (Canada); Cassie Campbell-Pascall, captain of two gold medal-winning Olympic hockey teams and Scotiabank ambassador (Canada); Allyson Leacock, Executive Director at Caribbean Broadcast Media Partnership on HIV-AIDS (Barbados); and, Jatnna Tavarez, Dominican Republic television personality and National Ambassador for UNICEF (Dominican Republic).

"Congratulations to each of the winners and applicants -- their submissions showed their dedication and passion for making a difference and enriching the lives of others," says Cassie Campbell-Pascall, captain of two gold medal-winning Olympic hockey teams and Scotiabank ambassador. "I was impressed to see the deep sense of responsibility each of the applicants demonstrated in contributing to their communities and inspiring positive change."

About Scotiabank
Scotiabank is a leading financial services provider in over 55 countries and Canada's most international bank. Through Bright Future, our global philanthropic program, Scotiabank and its employees support causes at a grassroots level across six pillars: health, education, social services, arts and culture, environment and sports. Recognized as a leader for our charitable donations and philanthropic activities, Scotiabank has contributed on average $50 million annually over the last five years to community causes around the world. Visit us at www.scotiabank.com.

Media inquiries:

FleishmanHillard
Caroline Bretsen
T: 416-645-8196
E: Caroline.Bretsen@fleishman.ca

Scotiabank Media Communications
Devinder Lamsar
T: (416) 933-1171 
E: devinder.lamsar@scotiabank.com