The ACA's essay competition will focus on the future of UK pensions and long-term saving
The Association of Consulting Actuaries (ACA) has launched a student essay competition as part of its 75th anniversary celebrations.
The trade body said it is inviting students at UK universities, studying any discipline, to submit an essay of up to 1,500 words on the future of UK pensions and long-term saving.
It said it wants to hear about innovative ideas on how to improve provision, understanding, take-up and/or overall savings adequacy at all levels of UK society.
Prizes will include £3,000 for the winner along with two runners-up prizes of £1,500 each. The ACA said winners will also have the opportunity to present their work at the ACA Bloomfield Lecture in London in November 2026, in front of consulting actuaries, lawyers, regulators and other pensions professionals and leaders from the industry's employers.
The deadline for submissions is 30 June 2026. To find out more, read the competition rules and to apply, click here.
ACA chair Stewart Hastie commented on the competition launch. He said: "75 years ago, there were under 30 consulting actuaries in the UK and today we have close to 1,650 members advising most of the country's largest firms and trustee bodies and thousands of smaller organisations and individuals on pensions and other areas.
"Building on that success, we are keen to encourage young talent to come forward with fresh ideas and initiatives for the future of pension savings – an area where as a society we need to do much more."
Hastie added: "We hope the competition will attract students to outline perspectives that go beyond current industry thinking and – if they have a mind to – consider how they might contribute in the future by perhaps looking at careers in the financial services industry – one of the UK's key sectors today and into the future."
