The Annual International Conference on Islamic Economics (AICIE) is one of the most prestigious international academic conferences in the field of Islamic economics, attended by academics, practitioners, and researchers from various countries. The conference was organized by the Faculty of Islamic Economics and Business, Institut Agama Islam Negeri (IAIN) Ponorogo, and was held on June 25, 2024, with the objective of exploring key issues related to Islamic economics and business. The event adopted the theme “Crisis in the Middle East: Leveraging Islamic Economics in Addressing Global Economic Turmoil,” which covered three main scopes: Economics, Finance, and Philanthropy.

The journey of the MES student research team toward achieving this accomplishment was far from easy. The team underwent a rigorous selection process, starting from abstract evaluation to paper presentations before a panel of judges consisting of experts in Islamic economics. As a result, 64 research teams were selected and granted the opportunity to present their research findings. The conference was divided into two categories, namely the Main Conference and the Student Colloquium. From each of the three scopes—Economics, Finance, and Philanthropy—one paper was selected as the Best Paper, resulting in a total of six teams receiving the Best Paper award.

The student research team from the Master’s Program in Islamic Economics (MES), Faculty of Islamic Economics and Business (FEBI), UIN Sunan Kalijaga, actively contributed to this conference. Led by Basri as the head of the research team and collaborating with postgraduate students Muh. Asharif, Zulfidayanti, and Herianti, the team successfully received the Best Paper Award, entitled “Outstanding Contribution in Islamic Economics at the 3rd Annual International Conference on Islamic Economics, June 25, 2024.” The award was granted for their paper entitled “Islamic Modeling Analysis of Income Inequality in Indonesia: A Vector Error Correction Model (VECM)” under the Economics scope. Overall, the conference received high appreciation from both the judges and participants, as it was considered to have made a significant contribution to the development of sustainable Islamic economics.

Through this achievement, the MES student research team at Universitas Islam Negeri Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta has demonstrated its ability to compete and contribute to the advancement of Islamic economic scholarship at the international level. This success is expected to serve as a strong motivation for other MES students to further enhance their academic potential, produce high-quality scholarly work, achieve academic excellence, and contribute meaningfully to the development of Islamic economics.