Expert Overview

Virtual stock-trading competition for teams of three to six high school students, run by the Ithaca College School of Business on the StockTrak platform. Teams manage $1,000,000 in virtual money from November to April and are ranked solely by portfolio return; the top three teams share $6,000 with their schools.

Format

Team

Judging Format

The ranking of teams is determined solely on the portfolio return measured by the change in value since the start of the competition.

Monetary

Grade Eligibility

Rising Freshmen, Sophomores, Juniors, Seniors

Geographic Eligibility

U.S.

Discipline

EntrepreneurshipBusinessFinanceInvesting

Entries

319

Percent Awarded

<1%

Important Dates

Registration Opens

November 16, 2026

Registration Closes

April 2, 2027

Passed

Open

Approaching: < 1 mo.

Priority: < 2 weeks

Urgent: < 1 week

Registration Cost

No entry fee

About

A faculty advisor registers first, then every team member, using school email addresses; each student may join only one team. Teams trade NYSE and NASDAQ stocks priced above $5, with no short selling, no position above 25 percent of the portfolio, and a cap of 1,000 trades. Prize money goes to U.S.-based teams only: $3,000 for first, $2,000 for second, and $1,000 for third, half to the team members and half to their school. Seniors who apply to Ithaca College receive an application fee waiver.

Ranking is by return alone, with no judged rationale or presentation, so a top finish reflects risk taken and market timing as much as skill; in 2024 the winning team returned 63 percent against 20 percent for the S&P 500. The competition drew 317 teams from 139 high schools that year, and no competition fee is listed.

A top-three finish shows a team outperformed hundreds of others over a full trading season.