Compete

Business

FBLA

Future Business Leaders of America National Leadership Conference

More than seventy competitive events in business, technology and finance, competed through a school chapter.

Run by Future Business Leaders of America

Official website Reviews and tips

Key facts

Eligible grades
Middle school and high school, in separate divisions, plus a separate FBLA Collegiate for college students with its own conference.
FBLA does not publish a numbered grade range nationally; divisions follow school level.
Source, checked 2026-09-02
Official divisions
Separate middle school and high school divisions, each with its own competitive events and state conferences.
Based on the organiser's own divisions.
Eligible ages
Not confirmed. This organiser may set eligibility by grade rather than age. We do not convert one into the other.
FBLA sets divisions by school level, not age.
Individual or team
Individual or team · Varies by event across individual, team and chapter categories.
Where it runs
In person · United States
Entry cost
Membership dues plus conference fees, commonly $100 to $600 in totalLayered: national dues plus state dues, then conference registration, hotel and travel. Amounts are set by each state chapter and were not published as a single national figure. Several states handle registration and housing through a third-party system, with hotels booked as part of conference registration rather than independently.
Registration deadline
Set locally, not published as a single national date Set by each state. Examples of the shape for 2026-27: one state's fall conference registration closed 22 September 2026 and its state conference registration closes 8 February 2027; another sets a 1 February dues deadline and an 18 February state registration date. Find your own state's calendar early.
Competition dates
National Leadership Conference: 23 to 26 June 2027 in Columbus, Ohio; 23 to 26 June 2028 in Anaheim, California; 25 to 28 June 2029 in Indianapolis. Those dates exclude travel. The National Fall Leadership Conference is 5 to 7 November 2026 in Washington, D.C. State conferences run from roughly January through April.
Difficulty
Some preparation neededYou will want a few weeks of targeted practice. Most motivated students place respectably.
Prizes
Medals, trophies and scholarshipsNational recognition plus scholarships underwritten by industry partners for students achieving national ranking. Amounts were not confirmed on the pages checked.

What FBLA is

FBLA runs a large programme of competitive events spanning accounting, business law, computer applications, cybersecurity, public speaking, entrepreneurship and more. Students compete through a school chapter at regional and state level, and state qualifiers advance to the National Leadership Conference. The event list is broader than DECA's on the technology and accounting side, which makes it a good fit for students whose interest is more technical than marketing.

How the competition works

Competitive events fall into three categories: individual, team and chapter. Many events combine an objective test with prejudged materials or a presentation. Testing and prejudged material deadlines usually fall weeks before the conference itself: one state ran district testing 1 December to 8 January with prejudged materials due 8 January, then state testing 2 to 18 March.

Eligibility notes

Membership in a school chapter is required. FBLA Middle School serves grades 6 to 8 with its own events.

How to register

  1. Check whether your school has an FBLA chapter, usually run through the business department.
  2. If not, a teacher can charter one through fbla.org.
  3. Join and pay national and state dues.
  4. Choose your events from the published competitive events list and read each one's guidelines.
  5. Compete at regional and state conferences to qualify for the National Leadership Conference.

Register on the official site

What skills you need

  • Accounting and finance
  • Business law
  • Computer applications
  • Public speaking
  • Case analysis
  • Objective test technique

Recommended resources

Past problems and materials

Only materials the organiser or an authorised archive publishes openly are listed here.

Frequently asked questions

How is FBLA different from DECA?

They overlap, but FBLA leans more toward accounting, business law and technology events, while DECA leans toward marketing and role-play formats. Many students choose based on which event list matches their interests, or on which chapter their school actually has.

Can middle school students compete?

Yes. FBLA Middle School serves grades 6 to 8 with its own competitive events.

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