AM Best’s 2026 Student Challenge Winners Announced

OLDWICK, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Faiza Ahmed and Anushka Nagaraj of Temple University have been named the winners of AM Best’s 2026 Student Challenge for their entry, “DIGInsured: A Captive Insurance Model for Digital Creators.” DIGInsured centers on a digital creators’ association and a captive insurer with cells to segment insureds by risk.

Samit Bin Alam, St. John’s University – Peter J. Tobin College of Business, took second place for “CLARNOR: Continuous AI Oversight for Insurance Systems.”

Mosharaf Khan and Molly Fitzpatrick, Rowan University – Rohrer College of Business, came in third with “Meeting the Needs of the Gig Economy: Insurance Solutions for Freelancers, Gig Workers and Content Creators.”

View videos highlighting the three prize-winning entries on the 2026 Student Challenge website.

“Congratulations to these students and their universities for their stimulating ideas for the 2026 Student Challenge, which we proudly present to highlight students’ knowledge, research and new thinking about current issues in the insurance industry,” said Lee McDonald, AM Best’s senior vice president, news & publication services.

The Challenge is an insurance solution-based competition designed to promote thought leadership and innovation in the field of insurance and risk management. It provides students with valuable exposure to insurance professionals and gives them experience for their resume, while also introducing new insurance/risk management, accounting and finance talent to the insurance industry.

The top three place-winners received:

• Prizes ($5,000 for the first-place individual or team, $3,000 for the second-place recipient and $2,000 for the third-place recipient, with prizes divided equally among team members)
• An interview opportunity with AM Best TV
• A feature article in Best’s Review magazine
• Recognition on AM Best social media channels
• An academic medal and trophy

The Challenge is one of AM Best’s ongoing initiatives to support the development of new talent in the insurance industry, along with an analytical development program and summer internships.

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.

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