Overview
HDFC ERGO General Insurance concluded the grand finale of its 11th edition of the Insurance Quiz Junior 2026, a nationwide initiative aimed at strengthening financial awareness among school‑going children across India.
Participation and Reach
The quiz engaged more than 16,900 students representing over 4,850 schools, which together covered approximately 76% of the country’s districts across 28 states and eight union territories. Participants came from more than 1,100 cities, spanning all states and union territories. The competition was conducted in ten languages – English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Bengali, Gujarati and Assamese – ensuring linguistic inclusivity.
Winners and Prizes
The grand finale crowned Medhansh Deole and Tanvi Shukla of Jawaharlal Nehru School, BHEL, Madhya Pradesh as champions, awarding them a cash prize of Rs 2,25,000. The first runners‑up, Dilan Dawn and Pranav Santhosh from Bhavan’s Vidya Mandir, Kerala, received Rs 1,50,000, while the second runners‑up, Alisha Jain and Aayush Jha from The Kalyani School, Maharashtra, were awarded Rs 75,000. The other three finalist schools were Sunbeam English School (Uttar Pradesh), Sunbeam Lahartara (Uttar Pradesh) and Delhi Public School Paradip Refinery (Odisha).
Gender and Inclusivity
Among the 16,900+ participating students, approximately 47% were girls, highlighting the programme’s emphasis on gender inclusivity.
Educational Excursion
All six finalist teams – four zonal winners and two teams advancing through the Eliminator round – were taken on an educational excursion to the Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum in Mumbai, where they attended an interactive learning workshop.
Company Context and Digital Footprint
Parthanil Ghosh, MD & CEO of HDFC ERGO, emphasized the company’s commitment to building a financially informed young India, noting that India’s 24 crore school‑age population provides a strong foundation for such initiatives. HDFC ERGO, a digital‑first insurer backed by HDFC Bank Limited and ERGO International AG (Munich Re Group), operates around 250 branches and over 650 digital offices, with roughly 86% of services delivered digitally, 12% of which are AI‑led. In FY26, the insurer issued approximately 4.2 crore policies across its retail and corporate product portfolio.
Additional Initiatives
The insurer has also been conducting state‑level insurance quizzes and launched the first‑ever Insurance Quiz Senior for undergraduate students in 2025, attracting more than 1,100 participants from over 140 cities.