Wharton Global High School Investment Competition 2026–27
Wharton Global Youth Program, The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.
📌About the Event
The Wharton Global High School Investment Competition 2026–27 is a free international investment challenge organized by the Wharton Global Youth Program at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. High-school students work in teams to develop a long-term investment strategy for a real-world client case, research companies and industries, and manage a virtual portfolio through the Wharton Investment Simulator (WInS). Unlike typical stock-market contests, teams are judged primarily on the quality of their investment strategy, research, analysis and communication, rather than how much their virtual portfolio grows.
ℹ️ Event Details
- Mode: Hybrid – the main competition and trading take place online, the semifinals are virtual, and the Global Finale is hosted at the Wharton School in Philadelphia. Finalists unable to travel may participate virtually.
- Team Size: 4–6 students per team.
- Platform: Wharton Investment Simulator (WInS) for virtual investing and SurveyMonkey Apply for competition materials and submissions.
- Main Task: Teams develop an investment strategy based on a client case study and submit an Investment Policy Statement (IPS) and a Comprehensive Final Report.
📅 Important Dates
- Registration Opens: August 10, 2026.
- Registration Deadline: September 11, 2026, 5:00 p.m. ET. All team accounts must be created by this deadline.
- Competition Materials Released: September 15, 2026.
- WInS Practice Period: September 15–25, 2026.
- Competition & Trading Begin: September 28, 2026.
- Official Team Roster Deadline: October 9, 2026, 5:00 p.m. ET.
🎯 Eligibility & Rules
- Eligibilty:
- Open to current high-school students, generally equivalent to Grades 9–12.
- Each team must have 4–6 students who remain actively involved throughout the competition.
- Students cannot participate on more than one team.
- Teams must have a teacher/educator from the same school as their official advisor.
- The designated student team leader must be at least 16 years old by September 28, 2026.
- Registration must be completed by the advisor; students cannot register directly.
- Advisors can supervise up to five team accounts.
- Home-schooled students are eligible, although teams consisting entirely of home-schooled students require prior approval from the competition organizers.
- Paid advisors, consultants or non-Wharton courses claiming to prepare teams specifically for the competition are prohibited and may result in disqualification.
🏆 Benefits for the Participants
- Students who complete the required competition deliverables and minimum requirements receive a digital participation credential/badge.
- Semifinalists and Global Finalists receive certificates recognizing their achievement.
- Current published prize information includes Wharton Global Youth online-program benefits for Global Finalists, including discounted access to selected summer online programs.
- The Global Champion team receives additional Wharton educational-program benefits, while students from the other finalist teams are eligible for a 50% discount on selected Wharton Global Youth summer online programs, according to the published 2026–27 prize details.
- Finalists also get the opportunity to compete for the title of Wharton Global High School Investment Competition Global Champion at Wharton.