All Actuaries Summit 2026 Prizes

The Melville All Actuaries Summit Prize Winner - 2026

Congratulations to Sharanjit Paddam, Olivia Brodhurst, Kate Cotter, Evelyn Yong, Ondrej Bures, Portia Elliott authors of the paper Strategic Climate Resilience in First Nations Social Housing: Actuarial Tools for Economic and Social Impact .

The paper provides a holistic and practical exploration of climate based risk reduction strategies with broad applicability across practice areas. It delivers clear, actionable steps supported by a well-structured methodology. It thoughtfully addresses wellbeing effects and the benefits to combined dwelling-level resilience ratings, peril modelling, and wellbeing informed cost–benefit analysis to guide strategic investment in housing upgrades, making it highly relevant to the challenges actuaries face today. 

The Melville Prize, funded by the late Tig Melville, is presented to the author of a paper, or presenter of a session, at the All Actuaries Summit.

The judging panel considers submissions based on the following:

• Has achieved an advance in the profession’s understanding or knowledge of a specific subject or sphere of knowledge; or
• Has collected or presented existing material intended to raise the awareness of the profession regarding an important contemporary issue.

The monetary value of the prize is AUD$5,000.

Carol Dolan All Actuaries Summit Prize

Congratulations to Hugh Miller, Justin Sik Kwok Wong and Callum Sleigh, authors of the paper Making all the right noise - Using diffusion deep learning models to perform multivariate prediction for simulation and reserving.

The paper uniquely explores an alternate modelling approach helpful to GI actuaries practicing in a variety of areas. In particular, it demonstrates how diffusion models can be used to improve and simplify traditional triangle projections for a noticeable increase in forecast accuracy compared to previously explored models.   

This prize is presented to the All Actuaries Summit paper or presentation, that in the opinion of the judges does the most to advance the actuarial theory and practice of general insurance. This prize has been funded by the late Carol Dolan.

About Carol Dolan

After graduating from Macquarie University, which she attended on an AMP actuarial scholarship, Carol Dolan was an actuary for 35 years, working in the insurance and financial services sectors in Australia and the United States, where she advised senior management and Boards on matters including risk management, strategic planning, premium rate setting and liability estimation. She was an active contributor to the Institute and the profession more broadly, and in 2015 was appointed to the Board of the Insurance Commission of Western Australia. She was also a supporter of a number of charities, in particular Anglicare Victoria, on whose Board she served, and the Fathering Project.

As well as completing her professional actuarial qualifications, Carol had an MBA and completed the AICD’s Company Director Course. She is survived by her husband Phil and three adult children.

This prize has been established in her memory, with the aim of recognising her contribution to the general insurance industry and the role that actuaries play within it.