ECONOMICS LIBRARY
National Student Opportunities
Competitions
Wharton Global High School Investment Competition
Description: The Wharton Global High School Investment Competition is a free, online investment simulation for high school students (9th to 12th grade) and teachers. Students work in teams of four to seven, guided by a teacher as their advisor. On the competition teams will design an investment strategy based off of a hypothetical investment scenario, and place trades with $100,000 on an investment simulator.
Date: Registration deadline is September. Further details at the link below.
The Stock Market Game
Description: The Stock Market Game™ (SMG) gives students the chance to invest a hypothetical $100,000 in a real-time portfolio while they compete against their peers across the state. They think they’re playing a game. We know they’re utilizing technology to improve math scores and learn economic, financial, and business concepts all while building 21st century skills that will last a lifetime. Follow up the SMG experience by entering InvestWrite, a national essay competition which adds a language arts and critical thinking component to the SMG experience.
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​Fall and Spring Sessions cost $15/team for up to 5 members and year-long costs are $25/team for up to 5 members. Limited funding is available for participation at no cost to students in Title 1 schools on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Date: Fall and Spring
Details: stockmarketgame.org
Conrad Spirit of Innovation Challenge
Description: An entrepreneurship competition that challenges students ages 13-18 to identify a problem, build a solution, and design a path toward commercialization of the product.
Date: Begins November
Details: conradchallenge.org
BizWorld
Description: A 12-week entrepreneurship program for ages 16-22. Includes instruction from industry professionals, networking with like-minded peers, and one-on-one mentorship. Selected businesses pitch live for the opportunity to receive up to $30,000 in seed funding.
Date: Programs begin in January and May
Details: bizworld.org/YES
Young Entrepreneur Academy
Description: Through their year-long program students in grades 6-12 generate business ideas, conduct market research, write business plans, pitch to a panel of investors, and launch their very own companies.
Date: Check website for details
Details: yeausa.org
Urban Land Institute - UrbanPlan Competition
High school students from across North America compete for a development contract from the fictional city of Yorktown. In UrbanPlan, students are tasked with redeveloping six blocks in the fictional neighborhood, Elmwood. The student’s fictional companies must balance historical preservation, dereliction, and competing neighborhood priorities, along with financial constraints to meet the needs of the city.
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For a useful introductory video to the competition see here.
Date: Check website for details