The Stock Market Game
Manage a virtual $100,000 portfolio against other school teams over a full trading season.
Run by SIFMA Foundation
Key facts
- Eligible grades
-
Grades 4 to 12
Source, checked 2026-09-02
- Eligible ages
-
Not confirmed. This organiser may set eligibility by grade rather than age. We do not convert one into the other.The SIFMA Foundation sets eligibility by grade, not age.
- Individual or team
- Team · Not confirmed
- Where it runs
- Online · United States
- Entry cost
- A low per-team fee, often free through state programmesSet by each state coordinator, not nationally, and it varies a great deal. Georgia charges $10 per team for 2026-27; Minnesota's coordinator has waived team fees entirely for 2026-27 through partner funding. Ask your state coordinator before assuming a cost.
- Registration deadline
- Set locally, not published as a single national date Registration deadlines are set by each state coordinator ahead of each session.
- Competition dates
- Autumn, spring and summer sessions, each running ten to fourteen weeks.
- Difficulty
- Open to beginnersNo prior competition experience assumed. If you can do the school-level material, you can enter and score points.
- Prizes
- Regional and state recognition, with prizes varying by coordinatorSet by each state coordinator and redesigned recently in at least one state. Georgia's overall state winner receives a $150 Amazon gift card per student.
What The Stock Market Game is
The Stock Market Game gives teams a virtual $100,000 and a real-time market simulation, and runs them against other teams in their state or region over ten to fourteen weeks. It has run since 1977 and is used in classrooms across the United States. Because it is teacher-administered and inexpensive, it is one of the easiest finance competitions for a school to start.
How the competition works
A curriculum-based investing simulation in which student teams manage a hypothetical $100,000 portfolio of stocks, bonds, ETFs, mutual funds and ESG investments. Sessions run from 3 to 9 months. No prior knowledge of economics or finance is needed to administer it. Financial education materials, instructional videos and professional development events are included.
Eligibility notes
Registration is through a teacher and is administered by state or regional coordinators, so availability and pricing vary.
Is The Stock Market Game right for you?
- Experience needed
- None. The game is designed for classroom use from grade 4 upward.
- Time commitment
- An hour or two a week during the session.
- What you actually do
- You research companies, place trades in a realistic simulation, and watch your portfolio against other schools. The ranking is by portfolio value at the end of the session.
A good fit if
- You want a first finance competition with almost no barrier
- Your class wants a term-long activity rather than a one-day event
- You are curious about markets
Probably not for you if
- Students who want a rigorous analytical competition, who should look at the Wharton investment competition or the economics challenge
Common mistakes
- Chasing volatility to win. Because ranking is by end-of-session value, teams often gamble late, which teaches the opposite of the intended lesson. The linked InvestWrite essay rewards reasoning precisely to counter this.
- Not trading at all in the first weeks, which wastes a large share of a short session.
How to register
- Find your state or regional coordinator through the official site.
- A teacher registers teams of two to five students for the current session.
- Teams research and trade during the session using the provided platform.
- Consider entering the linked InvestWrite essay competition, which rewards reasoning rather than returns.
What skills you need
- Investment research
- Risk and diversification
- Reading financial news
- Team decision making
- Basic economics
Recommended resources
-
The Stock Market Game
State coordinator directory, session dates, teacher resources and the trading platform.
-
SIFMA Foundation InvestWrite
The linked essay competition, judged on reasoning rather than portfolio returns.
Frequently asked questions
Is it free?
Often. Many state coordinators offer The Stock Market Game free or heavily subsidised to schools in their state. Check with your state coordinator rather than assuming a national price.
Does winning mean I am good at investing?
Not necessarily, and the organisers know it. A ten-week session rewards concentrated risk, which is why the linked InvestWrite essay competition exists to judge reasoning rather than returns.
Reviews, tips and resources from other students
Posts are public. Do not share your full name, school, address or contact details.
Something out of date?
If a deadline, fee or eligibility rule on this page no longer matches the official site, flag it and it goes into the review queue.
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