Wharton Global High School Investment Competition

No. The Wharton Global High School Investment Competition is limited to students in grades 9 through 12, and the designated student team leader must be at least 16 on the first day of trading. Wharton Global Youth runs a separate online Intro to Investing competition for middle school students, which is the right entry point for eighth graders and younger.

Four to six, and the team must keep at least four members throughout - a three-person team is not eligible. All members must come from the same high school, so cross-school teams are not allowed, and each student may join only one team. Rosters only need to be finalized by the October roster deadline, so teams have a few weeks after registering to settle membership.

No dedicated club is required. The primary advisor must be a teacher or educator at the student's own school, and students cannot register themselves, but that teacher doesn't need to come from an existing investment club - an economics, business or math teacher can serve. A parent or finance professional may only be a secondary advisor, and paid advisors are explicitly prohibited. One teacher can oversee up to five teams, so an Irvine student generally just needs one willing faculty member to solve the registration problem.

No. The official FAQ states there is no single winning investment strategy; judges evaluate the strength of the strategy, the quality of the research and how clearly the team communicates it, not portfolio growth. A lucky concentrated bet the team cannot justify tends to lose points in the written deliverables, while a coherent portfolio tied to the simulated client's goals travels further.

Very. Recent seasons have drawn thousands of teams - Wharton reported more than 6,300 registered teams in 2025-26 - and there are only 50 semifinal slots, so that is around one percent of registrants and under three percent even of teams that finish a final report. Semifinalists are chosen on the quality of the Investment Policy Statement and the comprehensive final report.

No. Registration and participation are entirely free, including use of the trading simulator. The only possible expense is travel and lodging to Philadelphia if a team reaches the Global Finale, which families cover themselves, and Wharton also offers a virtual option for the finale. Cost should not be the reason a team skips registering.

Registration for this season ran August 10 to September 11, 2026, with a practice period September 15-25, live trading from September 28 through December 4, 2026, and rosters locked by October 9. The Global Finale is scheduled for April 29-30, 2027. Registration does not reopen once it closes, and most Irvine public high schools start in mid-to-late August, right when the registration window opens, so put this on the first-week-of-school checklist.

No. Teams first write an Investment Policy Statement defining their simulated client's goals and risk tolerance, keep trading notes throughout the period, and submit a comprehensive final report explaining and reviewing the strategy. Judging rests mainly on those written deliverables, which means English writing and structured argument matter at least as much as the trades themselves. Irvine students who want line-by-line feedback on the Investment Policy Statement and final report can join EDUBUS's Wharton Investment Competition prep course.