On 22 November in London, Denis Kessler awarded the SCOR UK actuarial prizes at the annual Chairman’s Dinner, in the presence of Lord Sebastian Coe, the world famous former athlete and current Chairman of the London 2012 Olympic Games Organising Committee, and Emily Maitlis, a BBC journalist. Prizes were awarded to Gaurang Mehta of Cass Business School at City University, for his dissertation entitled “Solvency II - is it a Panacea?” and to Malik Kasmi of Heriot-Watt University, for his dissertation entitled “Bayesian Modelling of Outstanding Liabilities in Non-Life Insurance”.
Each year SCOR rewards the best academic papers in the field of actuarial science with prizes. These prizes are designed to promote actuarial science, to develop and encourage research in this field and to contribute to the improvement of risk knowledge and management. Today, the SCOR prize is recognized in the insurance and reinsurance industries as a measure of competence. The number of applicants this year remained very high in all the participating countries.

The juries are composed of academics and insurance, reinsurance and financial professionals. The winning papers are selected using criteria including an excellent command of actuarial concepts, high-quality analysis instruments, and subjects that could have a practical application in the world of risk management.

How to participate - 2009 editionIn order to emphasize the importance of actuarial research and to support education in actuarial science, SCOR UK is organizing an annual Actuarial Competition. Submission of a paper shall constitute acceptance by the author of the following rules.

ParticipantsAll students enrolled in universities in the UK in 2008-2009 and preparing for MSc's in either Actuarial Science or in Risk Management are eligible to submit a paper. Previously published papers are not eligible.

JuryThe jury will be comprised of both academics and actuarial professionals from the insurance and reinsurance field.

Mr Denis Kessler, Chairman & CEO of SCOR Group is the honorary chairman.

The jury shall comprise of the following members:

• Mr Christopher Daykin, former UK Government Actuary, Chairman of the Jury
• Professor David Wilkie, Visiting Professor & Research Consultant, Heriot-Watt University and Chairman of InQA Limited
• Mr Stavros Christofides, Consultant
• Mr Anthony Hugh Carus, Managing Director of Carus Consulting Actuaries
• Mr Eric Lecoeur, Group Chief Actuary SCOR
• Mr Frédéric Schwach,  Head of Actuarial Reserving - Global P&C UK/Ireland
• Mr Doug Lacoss,  Head of Actuarial Pricing - Global P&C UK/Ireland
• Mr Brian Valentine,  Chief Pricing Officer, Global Life UK/Ireland.

SubjectThere is no preset subject matter requirement. However, it is required that the paper deals with mathematics, physics, or economics related to the evaluation and management of risks in the Non Life insurance/reinsurance activity.

Application ProcessThe format for submission is :

• Two copies of the paper must be submitted in a typed format. Papers should be submitted in English.
• A 3 to 5 page summary of the paper should be attached describing the subject matter, the conclusions, together with a bibliography.
• Nowhere on the paper should the name or identity of the applicant be present. The applicant's name, address, university, degree and telephone number along with the title of the paper should be included on a separate covering letter

All papers should be sent to:
Frédéric Schwach, Chief Actuary
SCOR UK
First Floor, London Underwriting Centre
3 Minster Court, Mincing Lane
London EC3R 7DD

Marked PRIVATE & CONFIDENTIAL
All papers will be judged and two prizes will be announced in November 2009.
Application datesAll papers must be submitted by 31 July 2009.

PrizesAll papers will be judged and two prizes will be announced in November 2009.

• FIRST PRIZE: £3,000
• SECOND PRIZE £3,000.

Assessment and rulesThe selection of the winning papers will be based upon the following criteria:

The practical application of the paper
The innovative character of the paper
The relevance of the models and methods utilized
The quality and thoroughness of the paper

SCOR reserves the right to publish the winning papers and applicants may not submit the paper to other publications until after the adjudication date. The winners agree to give SCOR the exclusive right to first publication. SCOR reserves the right to not award a prize if there are no papers of suitable quality.

For more information please contact Frédéric Schwach at Cette adresse email est protégée contre les robots des spammeurs, vous devez activer Javascript pour la voir. .