AM Best Names Three Finalists in 2027 Student Challenge

OLDWICK, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Students from Boston University, Macquarie University and St. Mary’s University have been selected as finalists in AM Best's 2027 Student Challenge, which gives undergraduate and graduate students the opportunity to develop innovative solutions for risk management and insurance.

The finalists and their entries are:

• Dung Le (a.k.a. Edison Le) of Boston University for his proposed risk transfer structure that would protect perishable-food importers from post-arrival port delays through four layers of shared risk, with policies paying automatically based on verified dwell time and each shipment’s remaining shelf life.
• Yeyoung An of Macquarie University for her proposed parametric insurance that would automatically reimburse verified attendees when an event suffers a significant delay, interruption or loss of scheduled programming.
• Abdullah Mohammad Mahi, Montserrat Virgilio Bernal and Dilly Ogunrinde of St. Mary’s University for their proposed parametric insurance policy that would pay data centers a fixed amount when predefined combinations of heat, water shortages and grid stress occur.

Each finalist will receive:

• A financial prize
• An interview with AM Best TV
• A feature article in Best’s Review magazine
• Recognition on AM Best social media
• Access to an AM Best professional to provide feedback on the development of their solution
• An academic medal and trophy

Each finalist’s recorded presentation describing their proposed solution will be posted on AM Best’s 2027 Student Challenge website for viewing and electronic voting by insurance industry executives. Presentations will be posted beginning Dec. 7, 2026. The winner will be announced in Best’s Review on Feb. 1, 2027.

“We appreciate all of the students who participated in AM Best’s 2027 Student Challenge,” said Lee McDonald, AM Best senior vice president. “Every idea we received showed insight and innovation about an insurance industry opportunity. The challenge served as a catalyst for students to develop real-world ideas—and get feedback from AM Best experts, gain recognition for their efforts and expand their resumes with an insurance-specific project.”

AM Best’s 2027 Student Challenge is one of the company’s ongoing initiatives to support the development of new talent in the insurance industry. AM Best also provides an analytical development program.

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.

Copyright © 2026 by A.M. Best Company, Inc. and/or its affiliates. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.