Wharton Investment Competition
Wharton Global High School Investment Competition
Manage a virtual portfolio for a fictional client and defend your strategy to Wharton judges.
Run by The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania
Key facts
- Eligible grades
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Current high school students worldwide.
Wharton describes participants as high school students rather than publishing a numbered grade range. Third-party guides say grades 9 to 12.Source, checked 2026-09-02
- Eligible ages
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The designated student team leader must be at least 16 years old by 28 September 2026.
This applies only to the team leader, not to other members. It is easy to miss and can force a late change of leader.Source, checked 2026-09-02
- Individual or team
- Team · Teams of 4 to 6 students from the same high school, who must remain actively involved throughout. Students may not participate on more than one team. Each team shares a single Wharton Investment Simulator account, and accounts are created per team rather than per student.
- Where it runs
- Online and in person · International
- Entry cost
- FreeNo participation fee. Travel to the Global Finale, if you reach it, is the only likely cost.
- Registration deadline
- Registration closes Friday 11 September 2026 at 5:00 p.m. ET, by which point all team accounts must be created. The official team roster is then due Friday 9 October 2026 at 5:00 p.m. ET. 2 days leftA third-party listing gives an 8 December 2026 application deadline, which is wrong and would cause you to miss the competition entirely. Only the team leader's details are needed at registration; other members are confirmed on the October roster deadline.
- Competition dates
- Registration opened 10 August 2026. Competition materials and the client case study are released 15 September 2026 via SurveyMonkey Apply. The simulator practice period runs 15 to 25 September 2026, after which all practice portfolios are deleted. Competition and trading run 28 September to 4 December 2026. Semifinals are virtual and the Global Finale is hosted at the Wharton School in Philadelphia, with finalists unable to travel able to take part virtually.
- Difficulty
- CompetitiveSerious preparation over a season. Advancing past the first round separates prepared students from unprepared ones.
- Prizes
- Students on the 10 global finalist teams have the course fee waived for Wharton's online course Understanding Your Money. The global champion team's school may fast-track one team to the following year's semifinals, provided all deliverable requirements are met.No cash prizes. The award is recognition and the experience of presenting at Wharton. Some regional partners add their own prizes.
What Wharton Investment Competition is
The Wharton Global High School Investment Competition is unusual among stock market games because it is not about returns. Teams of four to seven students manage a virtual portfolio of $100,000 on behalf of a fictional client with a defined risk profile and goals, and are judged on how well their strategy serves that client. Teams submit a written report and the strongest advance to regional and global finals held at Wharton.
How the competition works
Teams build a long-term investment strategy for a real Wharton alum client whose financial scenario is written for the competition, then manage a virtual portfolio on the Wharton Investment Simulator. Two deliverables are required: an Investment Policy Statement and a Comprehensive Final Report. Judging is on the quality of strategy, research, analysis and communication, NOT on how much the portfolio grows.
Eligibility notes
Open worldwide. Teams must be registered and supervised by a teacher or approved adult adviser.
How to register
- Find a teacher or approved adviser willing to register and supervise the team.
- Assemble four to seven students. Larger teams have an advantage because the written report is substantial.
- Register through the Wharton Global Youth site before the autumn deadline.
- Trade the virtual portfolio through the competition platform during the trading period, documenting your reasoning as you go.
- Submit the written report explaining your strategy in terms of the client's goals and risk profile.
What skills you need
- Investment analysis
- Risk assessment
- Client-focused reasoning
- Written argument
- Team decision making
Recommended resources
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Wharton Global High School Investment Competition
Rules, timeline, client brief and judging criteria.
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Wharton Global Youth articles and glossary
Free finance and business explainers written for high school students by the same programme.
Past problems and materials
Only materials the organiser or an authorised archive publishes openly are listed here.
- Past winning team reports
Wharton publishes information about past winning strategies, which shows what the judges actually reward.
Frequently asked questions
Do we win by making the most money?
No, and this is the most important thing to understand about this competition. Teams are judged on how well their strategy serves a specific fictional client's goals and risk tolerance. A conservative portfolio that matches a risk-averse client can beat a high-return one that does not.
Can teams outside the United States enter?
Yes. It is a global competition with regional finals in several parts of the world.
Reviews, tips and resources from other students
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