Registration for the 2026-27 Wharton Global High School Investment Competition closed on September 11, 2026, and the trading period begins on September 28, 2026. Teams already registered should now be planning around the submission deadlines; families who missed the window should plan for the next registration period, which opens in August. This guide is for students in grades 9 to 12 considering a business or economics direction, and their parents.

How the Competition Works

The competition is run by the Wharton Global Youth Program at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. At the start of the season the organizers publish the profile of a fictional client, including financial goals and risk tolerance. Each team manages a portfolio for that client with virtual money on the Wharton Investment Simulator over roughly ten weeks of trading.

Unlike a typical stock-picking contest, the ranking is not based on portfolio return. Wharton states that judges evaluate the quality of the investment strategy, how well it aligns with the client’s objectives, the strength of the research and analysis, and the team’s ability to communicate and defend its recommendations. A concentrated position that the team cannot explain is a liability in the written materials, even if it performs well.

Eligibility and Team Composition

  • Grades and size: students in grades 9 to 12, in teams of four to six, with a minimum of four members maintained from start to finish.
  • Team leader: the designated student leader must be at least 16 years old on the first day of the competition, September 28, 2026.
  • Advisor: the primary advisor must be a teacher or educator at the school, and that advisor completes registration. Students cannot register themselves. A parent or finance professional may serve only as a secondary advisor, and paid advisors of any kind are not permitted.
  • Cost: there is no registration fee. Teams that reach the in-person global finale cover their own travel and lodging in Philadelphia.

The Four Deliverables and This Season’s Deadlines

Results are determined by four submissions, each due at 5:00 p.m. Eastern time:

  • October 9, 2026: team roster.
  • October 23, 2026: trading notes analysis.
  • November 6, 2026: investment policy statement, setting out the client’s objectives and risk boundaries.
  • December 4, 2026: final report.
  • April 29 and 30, 2027: semifinals and the global finale. Semifinal presentations are delivered by video conference; the finale is held at the Wharton School in Philadelphia, and qualifying teams may attend in person or by video conference.

Four Recurring Problems

  • Treating the writing as an afterthought. Three of the four deliverables depend on records kept during trading, so teams should write a trading log from day one, noting the day’s macroeconomic events, the reasoning for each trade, and a later review of how it worked.
  • Falling below the minimum team size. Dropping to three members affects eligibility, so teams should be formed with five or six students.
  • Not having an advisor. One teacher may advise several teams, so finding a single willing teacher usually solves registration for an entire grade level.
  • Missing the registration window. There is no late entry once registration closes; the next window opens in August, which means confirming the advisor and roster before school starts.

What EDUBUS Recommends

What separates teams here is written English and the organization of an argument, not trading skill, so preparation should concentrate on research method and report structure. We suggest a student draft a one-page investment policy statement before the team registers, as a test of whether they can state the client’s objectives, the asset allocation, and the risk controls clearly. Team formation, financial analysis, and presentation training are described on our business competition page, and the detailed rules and frequently asked questions are on the Wharton Global High School Investment Competition page.

Sources

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