Research contest
Carlos Dupont Award
In 1979 the Executive Committee of the Panamerican Surety Association created a prize to encourage the presentation of unpublished papers related to bonds. The contest was originally biennial and available only to officers and employees of member companies. Later PASA authorities decided to open the contest to university students and professionals related to the sector, to cover credit insurance and reinsurances, and to make it annual. In 1994 the contest was named "Carlos Dupont Award” in memory of PASA's Permanent Secretary, who long held the position and promoted the Award with great enthusiasm.
2024 Edition
Rules
1. Participation
Eligible participants include employees, officers and coworkers of PASA member companies, college students and people working in the fields of suretyship and/or credit insurance and their respective reinsurance.
2. Prize
The prize for the winner shall consist of USD 5,000 (five thousand US dollars) and a round-trip ticket (economy class), hotel accommodation (4 nights) and registration fee to attend PASA’s XXXV General Assembly in the city of Bogotá, Colombia, and present his/her work during the academic sessions. The winner shall also be awarded an official certificate. The winning paper shall become the property of PASA. Additionally, the Jury may decide to grant one or more Special Mentions, which will consist in awarding a certificate to the author and publishing the selected paper or papers in the Members Only section of our Web site.
3. Features of the presentation
Entries should be individual, original and unpublished, addresing topics related to credit insurance and surety bonds, including, but not limited to, the following:
- • Are the capital allocation models applied by rating agencies adequate for a) the companies that are only sureties; b) the companies that write surety bonds and/or credit insurance?
- • Is the price charged by the market adequate for the covered risks? The risk-based capital approach for pricing models.
- • Are the methods currently used by the market still efficient to evaluate the buyer’s/contractor’s solvency? New tools for the evaluation of their risk rating.
- • Project financing. Evaluation and suretyship
- • Guarantee systems in international trade (a study on International Private Law)
- • Abstract vs. Collateral Guarantees. Practical advantages and drawbacks.
- • Consequences of Solvency II for surety and credit insurance companies.
- • Fronting. Risks inherent to the current models and possible solutions.
- • Consequences of surety premium default. Doctrine and case law.
- • Credit insurance in the USA: common litigation. Experience and possible solutions.
4. Format
- • Language: Spanish or English.
- • Length: maximum length: 4,000 words (about 8 pages). Annexes may be added; however, the conclusions should be contained in the main body of the paper. The number of pages of such annexes should not exceed the length of the main body.
- • Additional information: an abstract (not to exceed 250 words) indicating the main aims and conclusions shall be included.
- • Presentation: In a Word file.
- • Format: Size: A4. Font: Times New Roman. Font size: 12. Margins: Left: 2.5 cm. Right: 2.5 cm. Upper: 2.5 cm. Lower: 2.5 cm. Indent: No. Paragraphs separated by one line. Line spacing: Simple (1). Text: Justified.
Important notice: The author’s personal data (name and surname, nationality, address, telephone and e-mail) and a brief curriculum vitae should be included in a separate file enclosed to the mail. This second file should have the name of the author’s pen name.
5. Author
Each participant may submit more than one entry, in which case he/she should use a different pen name for each entry.
6. Jury
The Jury shall be composed by PASA's President and the First and Second Vice Presidents and the Presidents of the Surety, Credit, Training and Education and Legal Committees.
7. Verdict
The Jury shall inform its decision as from 15 days following the contest’s closing date. If the entries do not meet the required standards, are not related to the industry or the author’s identity is revealed, the Jury reserves the right to declare the award vacant. The Jury's decision shall be final and shall be made known through PASA's Web site (www.apfpasa.ch).
8. Rights
Submission of a paper implies that, if awarded, the author shall assign all publication rights to PASA and remain fully liable for any future claims that may arise. PASA reserves exclusive rights to any profits arising from the publication of the winning paper. Copies of non-selected entries shall be destroyed by PASA.
9. Call for papers
Entries should be submitted in PDF format via email by March 15, 2024, to this address only: carlos.dupont@apfpasa.ch to preserve the identity of the authors. Participants may send their questions or comments to the same mail address.
10. Bases
PASA reserves the right to modify these Rules at any time without prior notice.