AM Best’s 2026 Student Challenge Calls on Participants to Solve Insurance Risks; Prize Total of $10,000 Announced

August 19, 2025 at 13:42 PM EDT

AM Best’s 2026 Student Challenge, which gives undergraduate and graduate-level students the opportunity to develop and showcase innovative solutions for risk management and insurance, has added a prize component.

Now open for submissions, the Student Challenge calls for students to generate ideas in one of three areas: Monitoring AI (Artificial Intelligence) Risk and Claims; Expanding Flood Coverage; and Meeting the Needs of the Gig Economy.

Participants in the Student Challenge will be vying for:

First prize of $5,000, second prize of $3,000 and third prize of $2,000
A donation of $5,000 to the school of the first-place team
An interview with insurance industry media network AM Best TV
A feature article in Best’s Review magazine
Recognition on AM Best’s social media channels
An academic medal and trophy

Students can read further information in AM Best’s 2026 Student Challenge Handbook. First-round submissions are due October 6, 2025, with final-round submissions due January 22, 2026. Winners will be notified April 9, 2026.

Student submissions will be reviewed by professionals in AM Best Rating Services, then narrowed down to three finalists. Submissions will be judged based on degree of innovation, feasibility, impact, implementation and more.

“AM Best’s 2026 Student Challenge enables students to gain first-hand experience in insurance and risk management,” said Lee McDonald, senior vice president, AM Best - Information Services. “It serves as a catalyst for students to work collaboratively with risk management faculty at their schools, build teams of fellow students and bring their ideas to life. It also provides feedback from AM Best experts and expands students’ resumes with an insurance-specific project.”

McDonald added: “Our company’s founder, Alfred M. Best, emphasized the importance of ‘the ingenuity with which at all times the new needs of the public have been met.’ That’s the essence of insurance: using innovation to solve risk challenges as the world shifts. AM Best welcomes the opportunity to collaborate with the rising generation of professionals to apply their ingenuity and lead the insurance industry toward the future.”

In addition to the 2026 Student Challenge, AM Best also offers internships and an Analytical Development Program as ongoing initiatives to support the development of new talent in the insurance industry.

AM Best is a global credit rating agency, news publisher and data analytics provider specializing in the insurance industry. Headquartered in the United States, the company does business in over 100 countries with regional offices in London, Amsterdam, Dubai, Hong Kong, Singapore and Mexico City. For more information, visit www.ambest.com.