Challenge asked participants to utilize AI tools to compile and analyze key data fields for underwriting pet insurance
NEW YORK, Dec. 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — ACORD announced today the winner of the ACORD Student Challenge 2025, a first-of-its-kind national competition that empowers university students to leverage cutting-edge technology to optimize real-world insurance processes.
This year’s challenge asked participants to utilize AI tools to compile and analyze key data fields for underwriting pet insurance, a rapidly growing market segment—with premiums totaling more than $21 billion worldwide in 2024, and growing 12% annually. Compiling a canonical list of necessary data fields is the first step in providing structured, standardized data for this emerging line of business.
Manasa Ramaka, a graduate student who is pursuing a Master of Science degree in Business Analytics and Project Management at the University of Connecticut, submitted the winning entry and received a $5,000 cash prize. Her innovative approach employed Large Language Models (LLMs) to generate relevant data fields and validate preexisting data from five top pet insurance carriers.
The ACORD Student Challenge presented contestants with tasks involving aspects of data architecture, prompt engineering, and process documentation. The students applied AI tools to create structured data sets of underwriting inputs, and presented to the judges a thorough explanation of their methodology and results.
The prize-winning projects will inform future development of the ACORD Data Standards, which are widely used throughout the global insurance industry to maximize the efficiency and consumability of data for analytics, AI leverage, and real-time digital data exchange throughout the insurance value chain.
Two runners-up, University of Connecticut graduate student Rutendo Mahanzu and Georgia Institute of Technology graduate researcher Pramod Misra, each received $2,000 cash prizes. Mahanzu used AI programs to extract data from ACORD Forms for other insurance policies, like homeowners and auto, to generate data fields for underwriting pet insurance. Misra developed a custom AI agent and employed multiple LLMs to examine form templates, carrier practices, published underwriting manuals, and regulatory filings to structure insurance data into key categories.
All three finalists will also receive free passes to ACORD Connect 2026 and one year of mentorship with an industry professional.
“ACORD would like to congratulate all of our finalists on this significant accomplishment,” said Malou Soriano, SVP, Global Chief Officer of Education, Consulting & Advocacy at ACORD. “It’s truly exciting that their groundbreaking use of AI tools to structure insurance data will help to advance the development of ACORD Standards, and potentially help to facilitate the flow of information throughout the global insurance ecosystem.”
About ACORD
ACORD (Association for Cooperative Operations Research and Development) is the global standards-setting body for the insurance and related financial services industries. ACORD facilitates fast, accurate data exchange and efficient workflows through the development of electronic standards, standardized forms, and tools to support their use. ACORD engages thousands of insurance and reinsurance companies, agents and brokers, software providers, financial services organizations and industry associations in more than 100 countries. ACORD maintains offices in New York and London. Learn more at www.acord.org.
