The cream of the crop of Bermuda's international business students was on show at the Association of Bermuda International Companies (ABIC) Education Awards annual luncheon yesterday.

The ceremony, which was held at the Harbourfront Restaurant, saw a total of 18 students win scholarships to pursue business-related university undergraduate degrees in the US, Canada and the UK.

ABIC raised $545,200 in scholarships this year, with 21 ABIC Education Awards scholars currently studying abroad benefiting from their second year of funding and each receiving $15,000 towards the cost of their education.

The programme has been running for more than 30 years and has provided scholarships to more than 500 students, with international companies donating more than $5 million to the scheme over the past 10 years alone.

The event kicked off with a welcome speech by ABIC chairman David Ezekiel before Rees Fletcher, president and CEO of Ace Bermuda, and Erika Suber, an actuarial trainee at Ariel Re, both previous ABIC education award recipients, took to the stage to debate the motion of whether education and opportunities are better today than they were 30 years ago.

Ms Suber spoke in favour of the proposition and Mr. Fletcher against to determine which era was better for attending college and entering the workforce, with Mr. Ezekiel declaring the contest a draw and adding that the same principles of hard work, good grades, work experience and networking applied to both and were just as relevant in 2010 as they were in 1980 in order to achieve a successful and rewarding career in international business.

Mr. Ezekiel then presented the awards to Kian Butterfield, Amber Clark, Helen Crisson, Subira Dill, Jubilee-Ann Edness, Tashae Harvey, Kayla Johnson, Khayriyyah Jones, Victoria Medeiros, Cathryn Minors, Sierra Petty, Lamara Richardson, Shakira Richardson, Jahniqua Simmons, Krysten Smith, Terrisa Stewart and Marquel Waldron.

Ms Minors also received the 2010 Michelle Outerbridge Award, having graduated from the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme at Bermuda High School for Girls with a 3.42 GPA and several other academic awards, and she will be attending the University of Liverpool to study a dual degree programme combing Honors Law LLB and a Bachelor of the Arts degree in History as she follows her career path to become a lawyer.

The Post Graduate Award, worth $20,00 per year, went to Joanna Dove, who graduated Cum Laude from Bates College with Bachelor of the Arts Degree in Psychology. Having worked at Eze Castle Software in Boston for the past four years and being promoted from quality assurance analyst to associate product manager, she plans to take a Master's of Business Administration Degree at Oxford University in the future.

The sponsors for the event included HSBC Insurance, Platinum Underwriters Bermuda Ltd., Alterra, Endurance, Aon, HFI, Tokio Millennium Re Ltd., Arrow Capital, Validus Re, PartnerRe, XL Group, Ariel Re, Zurich, Fidelity International, Flagstone Re, Aspen, Amlin Bermuda, OIL, Elan, Bacardi and the Ace Group of Companies.