The top-performing teams will be awarded scholarships as follows:

• 1st Prize: $4,000
• 2nd Prize: $3,000
• 3rd Prize: $2,000
• Honorable Mention (Non-Business): $1,000
• Audience Choice: $500

Total: $10,500

Registration Period (January 12 - February 2, 2026)

Students interested in joining the challenge will form teams of 2-5 members. Fill in the registration form by 3 p.m. on February 2, 2026. Open to all undergraduate and graduate students.

Challenge Launch & Orientation Session (January 30, 2026)

The challenge officially begins with an Investment Challenge Orientation hosted by the university president and faculty advisors. Teams will receive an overview of the competition format, scoring criteria, and key market dynamics. Each team will receive an initial virtual capital to start building their portfolios. 

• The orientation session includes three key segments:
  • Technical Tutorial – Presented by Stock-Trak
  • Rules & Guidelines – Explained by faculty advisors
  • Investment Principles – Shared by industry experts

Investment Period (February 4 - April 3, 2026)

Over 8 weeks, teams will trade and manage their virtual portfolios, with weekly checkpoints and progress reports due each Friday. Faculty advisors will be available for weekly consultation. Market experts will hold workshops on various topics such as risk management, ethical investing, and analysis of current market trends. Teams must adhere to set trading rules and will track performance through the university’s online trading simulator.

Mid-Point Check & Peer Review (March 6, 2026)

Halfway through the challenge, each team will submit a progress report detailing their portfolio’s performance, investment strategy, and any adjustments made. This report will be reviewed by peers, faculty advisors, and industry experts who will provide constructive feedback. Teams will have an opportunity to reassess and fine-tune their approach based on these insights.

Final Submission (April 10 - April 14, 2026)

• April 10, 2026: After the 8-week investment period, each team will submit a final report summarizing their performance and strategies.
• April 14, 2026: The 6 finalist teams will be announced.

Presentation Coaching Session (April 16, 2026)

This workshop-style session gives finalist teams the opportunity to refine their presentation skills ahead of the Awards & Recognition Ceremony. Students will receive guidance from faculty and industry professionals on structure, delivery, slide design, and how to communicate investment rationale effectively. Teams can ask questions, practice key sections of their presentation, and receive real-time feedback to help strengthen clarity, confidence, and overall impact.

Presentations, Awards & Recognition Ceremony (April 22, 2026)

The finalist teams will deliver 10-minute presentations during a formal awards ceremony hosted by the university president. Presentations should cover their investment strategy, portfolio performance, risk management practices, and lessons learned throughout the challenge. A panel of judges, including the two faculty and three industry experts, will evaluate the presentations based on returns, strategy, innovation, and demonstrated financial knowledge.

The top-performing teams will be announced after the presentations.

Fill in the registration form by 3 p.m. on February 2, 2026. Team captains should be prepared to provide the following information when registering your team:

• Team Information
  • Team Name
    • Be creative and memorable.
    • Team Mantra
    • A short statement that reflects your team’s values, purpose, or guiding principle.
• Members Information
  • First and Last Name
  • Rebelmail Address
  • Phone Number
  • School/Colleges
  • Majors
  • NSHE IDs

Teams will receive a confirmation email within 24–48 hours if the registration is successful. After that, teams will sign-up for an account on StockTrak using the information provided in the confirmation email. For questions, please email info.pinvestc@unlv.edu.

• Students must form a team between 2 to 5 members. The team captain should register for the team and provide information on the team members during the registration process.
• All full-time, enrolled, degree-seeking students are eligible to participate. Students can only join one team.
• Each team will start with a virtual $500,000. To be considered as top-performing teams, teams should have a positive portfolio return, or a portfolio value greater than $500,000 after the investment period.
• Eligible financial instruments to be traded include U.S. stocks, bonds, mutual funds, ETFs, futures, options, and cryptocurrencies.
• Teams should invest no more than 25% in any single security and no more than 50% in any single diversified mutual fund or ETF.
• Margin trading and short sales are allowed.
• Teams should conduct a minimum of 10 trades throughout the investment period, and must place trades in February, March, and April.
• The minimum price for a stock to be bought is $5; the minimum price for a stock to be shorted is $10.
• Day trading is not allowed.
• Teams should use the Trade Journal feature to document the reasons for each trade.

• Portfolio Performance (50%) – Comprehensive evaluation based on raw return, Sharpe ratio, and alpha. Teams are ranked separately on (i) raw return (or final portfolio value), (ii) Sharpe ratio, and (iii) alpha, as reported by StockTrak. The final standing is determined by a weighted average of these three rankings, with weights of 50% for raw return, 25% for Sharpe ratio, and 25% for alpha.
• Strategy & Rationale (20%) – Evaluation of the team’s investment strategy and decision-making process on the basis of articulation, soundness, or thoughtfulness of the strategy.
• Risk Management (20%) – Effective use of strategies to mitigate risk.
• Team Collaboration & Presentation (10%) – Quality of team collaboration and clarity of the final presentation.

Your generosity helps us provide valuable learning opportunities for our students. No gift is too small, and every donor will be recognized with appreciation. Our students thank you for your support!

How to Give

1. Visit our donation page.
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