4 Most Hands-On Investment Competitions for High Schoolers

If you’re a high-schooler who wants to trade, pitch, research, and gain real experience with money (virtually or in front of real investors), these five competitions have the most practical, hands-on approaches to gaining experience. Below I will give each competition’s responsibilities (what you’ll actually do).

1) Wharton Global High School Investment Competition

Teams build and manage simulated portfolios, analyze industries and companies. Students use an online stock-market simulator and implement their unique strategy (which the team is judged on). Teams are guided by a teacher/advisor, with the top 50 teams advancing into global semi-finals.

2) Young Investors Society (YIS) — Global Stock Pitch Competition & Finance Knowledge Bowl

I highly recommend this competition, given the amount of resources and quantitative approaches provided. YIS runs multiple live competitions that replicate real fund management activities. Teams (or individuals) produce professional stock research, a pitch deck and video, and present to panels of industry judges. The quantitative approach that students use, such as the provided intrinsic value spreadsheets, allow students to experience the finance world firsthand.

3) Capitol Hill Challenge (The Stock Market Game)

This widely used program gives teams a virtual cash balance to trade real securities. Sponsored by Charles Schwab, this competition pushes students to apply investment reasoning under competition constraints. It uses a classroom-friendly, concluding with a judged essay on portfolio strategy.

4) Ithaca College High School Investment Competition

Collegiate hosts like Ithaca run simulated portfolio contests where teams manage a big virtual cash balance. The leaderboard is strictly performance-based, which is deal for those who want a pure fund-management feel. Teams of 3–6 (plus an advisor) receive a virtual cash amount and must build a portfolio that meets rules (min/max holdings, allowed securities).