About

Teams of up to four students, plus a teacher-coach, register through their state's affiliated Council for Economic Education program. State competitions run through the fall and spring, with each state identifying a champion in each division who advances to the Online National Semifinals — a 45-question multiple-choice round covering microeconomics, macroeconomics, international economics, and current events, with the team score determined by the sum of the top three individual scores. The top 16 teams from the semifinals advance to the in-person National Finals in Atlanta, where competition moves through a Critical Thinking Round and a Quiz Bowl format before a champion is crowned in each division. National finalist teams receive all-expenses-paid accommodations in Atlanta, with cash prizes of $1,000 for first place through $200 for fourth, awarded to each team member and coach.

The NEC occupies a straightforward but important position for economics-interested students: it is the only competition of its kind nationally, which gives national finalist and champion status real recognition value in a discipline where competitive infrastructure is otherwise thin. The Adam Smith division — the appropriate target for students with AP or honors economics preparation — is where the credential carries the most weight. A national championship in the Adam Smith division is a meaningful and distinctive signal for students targeting economics, finance, or policy programs, in a field where most pre-college competitions don't exist at all.

The National Economics Challenge is the right competition for any high school student with serious interest in economics — the Adam Smith division is the target for students with AP or honors preparation, and national finalist status in that division is the strongest pre-college economics credential available.