Students to help shape the future of pet insurance underwriting
NEW YORK, NY, August 21, 2025 — ACORD, the global standards-setting body for the insurance industry, has officially launched the ACORD Student Challenge 2025, a national competition designed to empower university students to leverage cutting-edge technology to solve real-world insurance challenges.
This year’s challenge focuses on the rapidly growing business sector of pet insurance underwriting. As pet ownership continues to rise globally, insurers are seeking innovative ways to assess risk and deliver personalized coverage. Students are being tasked with identifying and organizing key data fields necessary for underwriting pet insurance policies and extracting insights that will help shape the future of this emerging market.
Participants will apply next-gen AI tools like Large Language Models (LLMs) and data science techniques to compile and analyze carrier data, gaining hands-on experience in prompt engineering, data architecture, and process documentation. Their work will contribute to the development of data standards that will be used throughout the global insurance industry.
"ACORD is proud to support the next generation of insurance innovators," said Malou Soriano, SVP, Global Chief Officer of Education, Consulting & Advocacy at ACORD. "The Student Challenge provides a unique opportunity for students to apply emerging technologies to meaningful industry problems, while building skills that will serve them throughout their careers."
The winning entry will receive a $5,000 cash prize. Two runners-up will each receive $2,000. All winners will get recognition in ACORD’s newsletter and media channels, free passes to ACORD Connect 2026, and a one-year mentorship with an insurance professional.
Registration is open now at www.acord.org/studentchallenge until October 1, 2025. Entries are due by November 1, 2025.