TORONTO, ON - July 05, 2016 /CNW/ - Scotiabank and yconic, Canada's largest student help community, have joined together for the 4^th year in a row to offer students a chance to win one of 30 scholarships and awards to help fund their post-secondary education. This year, Scotiabank has increased its commitment to the National Scholarship program to $80,000.

The National Scholarship program provides students in Canada (Canadian students or international students studying in Canada) with the opportunity to be rewarded for their continued pursuit of their academic goals, while helping to ease the financial burdens they face in paying for their education.

"yconic plays a critical role in the lives of Canadian youth," said Jon Kamin, Managing Director of yconic. "The Scotiabank National Scholarship program is a great example of how yconic works with like-minded organizations who are authentically interested in helping students achieve success."

With 30 scholarships of $2,500, students across Canada will have many chances to win financial assistance by sharing, in 150 words or less, a life lesson and how it has shaped their life as a student. Past winners have used the prizing to help pay for tuition, books, and living expenses they incur as part of their ongoing education.

"At Scotiabank, we know that the cost of education is expensive and with fees continuing to increase, it's more important than ever to support students in achieving their goals," said Emily Field, Vice President of Retail Customer Solutions at Scotiabank. "Our partnership with yconic through the Scotiabank National Scholarship program helps to relieve the financial burden of post-secondary education, rewards students for their creativity and clarity of thought and allows them to focus on their future."

Quotes from last year's Scotiabank National Scholarship winners:

"It is remarkable that there are companies out there such as yconic and Scotiabank that are determined to better the world by encouraging post-secondary education for the minds of our future. I am so happy that through this scholarship I can contribute to my tomorrow."

• Madeleine Harrison, Oakville, ON

"The best preparation for tomorrow is doing your best today… I would like to thank yconic and Scotiabank on recognizing this ..."

• Akshaan Tejwani, Edmonton, AB

"I am extremely honoured and grateful to be a recipient of this scholarship. [It] will be incredibly helpful in relieving some of the financial burdens that accompany the life of a student, and allow me to better focus on my studies."

• Aleksandra Stefankowski, Vancouver, BC

The Scotiabank National Scholarship is open to students across Canada, including international students, who are 16 years of age or older and who are pursuing secondary or post-secondary education full-time in the 2016-2017 academic year. The deadline to apply is November 2, 2016. Applications can be found on the Scotiabank National Scholarship page on yconic.com.

Scotiabank first began working with yconic in 2003. In January 2014, the two organizations announced a long-term, expanded arrangement that included $750,000 in new financial awards for high school and post-secondary students across Canada. By improving financial literacy and giving students access to new financial opportunities, Scotiabank and yconic work to make students' lives easier.

About yconic
Since 1998, yconic has supported millions of Canadian youth as they navigate their way through post-secondary education. Powered by our 'authentic help' model, today we help corporate partners understand, engage, and acquire Millennial and Gen Z Canadians. yconic.com connects students to over $170 million in financial opportunities and over 825,000 other student members via a peer-to-peer community. For more information, please visit www.yconic.com

About Scotiabank
Through our global community investment strategy, Scotiabank and its employees support causes at a grassroots level. Recognized as a leader for our charitable donations and philanthropic activities, in 2015, Scotiabank contributed $67 million to help our communities around the world.

Scotiabank is Canada's international bank and a leading financial services provider in North America, Latin America, the Caribbean and Central America, and Asia-Pacific. We are dedicated to helping our 23 million customers become better off through a broad range of advice, products and services, including personal and commercial banking, wealth management and private banking, corporate and investment banking, and capital markets. With a team of more than 89,000 employees and assets of $895 billion (as at April 30, 2016), Scotiabank trades on the Toronto (TSX: BNS) and New York Exchanges (NYSE: BNS). Scotiabank distributes the Bank's media releases using Marketwired. For more information, please visit www.scotiabank.com and follow us on Twitter @ScotiabankViews.