Each year the IFoA seeks to recognise excellence in actuarial research by awarding prizes for outstanding papers.
We are currently seeking nominations for high quality papers that could be considered
for the following awards:
- The Peter Clark Prize is named in honour of the former president of the Institute of Actuaries who died while serving as immediate past president. It is awarded to an outstanding paper for an actuarial audience.
- The Geoffrey Heywood Prize originates from a bequest from the first consulting actuary to act as president of the Institute of Actuaries. It considers papers demonstrating excellent levels of communication and engagement with a general actuarial audience.
Each prize has a cash award, funded by the IFoA Foundation (actuaries.org.uk/about-us/ifoa-foundation). Many winners choose to donate their award to a charity; recent beneficiaries have included UNICEF, Prostate Cancer UK and the Magic Breakfast.
Papers must have been first presented to a mainly actuarial audience, or first published in final form, no earlier than 31 May 2021. All nominations will be assessed for both prizes – you don’t need to select one or the other when nominating. All papers published in the IFoA’s Annals of Actuarial Science and British Actuarial Journal during the qualifying period will be automatically considered for the prizes.
Anyone can make a nomination, although individuals cannot self-nominate. The prizes are open to the actuarial community around the world, and regardless of IFoA membership status.
The closing date for nominations is Monday 22 August 2022. For full details and eligibility criteria, and to nominate (via the online form) an outstanding paper that you think deserves recognition, go to the Best Paper Prizes (actuaries.org.uk/about-us/prizes-and-awards/best-paper-prizes) page on the IFoA website. Nominations will then be considered by the IFoA Publications Committee, with final decisions made at its autumn meeting.
Remember that the IFoA library service provides free online access to hundreds of up-to-date journals in actuarial science and related disciplines to members via the Actuarial Knowledge Hub (bit.ly/3O8qID0).
Reading and reflecting on the professional literature can count towards continuing professional development – so reading and nominating papers can bring multiple benefits!
