Business competitions for high school students

Pitch competitions, case events and finance challenges for grades 9 to 12. Pitch contests want a venture concept with real customer research behind it; career organisation events run hundreds of role-play and written events through a school chapter.

20 competitions · 12 free · 15 online · 2 with preparation guides

Engineering Invention Convention Invent something that solves a real problem, document the process, and pitch it like an inventor.

Grades1 to 12
CostFree to $100
StructureDivisions by grade or level
FormatEither
WhereIn person

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Business InvestWrite A free national essay competition on investing, judged on reasoning rather than returns.

Grades4 to 12
CostFree
StructureDivisions by grade or level
FormatIndividual
WhereOnline

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Engineering The Paradigm Challenge Solve a real social problem however you like, from age four upward, with a large prize pool.

Grades1 to 12
CostFree
StructureDivisions by grade or level
FormatEither
WhereOnline

231 days left

Business The Stock Market Game Manage a virtual $100,000 portfolio against other school teams over a full trading season.

Grades4 to 12
CostFree to $30
FormatTeam
WhereOnline

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Business Blue Ocean Competition A fully online entrepreneurship pitch competition with no written business plan required.

Grades9 to 12
CostFree
FormatEither
WhereOnline

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Business Business Professionals of America Competitive events in business, IT, digital media and management, with a strong technical event list.

Grades6 to 12
Cost$20 to $1,500
StructureDivisions by grade or level
FormatEither
WhereIn person

80 days left

Business FBLA More than seventy competitive events in business, technology and finance, competed through a school chapter.

Grades6 to 12
Cost$20 to $600
StructureDivisions by grade or level
FormatEither
WhereIn person

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Business Global Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge A twelve-hour online startup sprint: the problem is revealed on the day and you pitch by the end of it.

Grades9 to 12
CostNot confirmed
FormatTeam
WhereOnline

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Business National Personal Finance Challenge A team competition on earning, spending, saving, investing and managing credit, free to enter.

Grades9 to 12
CostFree
FormatTeam
WhereBoth

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Coding Technovation Girls A free global season where girls aged 8 to 18 build an app or AI project and pitch it as a venture.

Grades3 to 12
CostFree
StructureDivisions by grade or level
FormatTeam
WhereOnline

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Environment The Earth Prize A global environmental sustainability competition for teenagers, free to enter, with a substantial prize pool.

Grades7 to 12
CostFree
FormatTeam
WhereOnline

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Business Conrad Challenge A year-long innovation competition where teams build a product and a business around a real global problem.

Grades6 to 12
CostFree to $499
FormatTeam
WhereBoth

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Business DECA Hundreds of role-play and written business events, competed through a school chapter up to an international conference.

Grades9 to 12
Cost$20 to $600
FormatEither
WhereIn person

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Business Diamond Challenge Pitch a business or social venture concept against teams from more than a hundred countries, for a prize pool above $100,000.

Grades9 to 12
CostFree
FormatTeam
WhereBoth

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Business Harrington Foundation Accelerator A free eight-week virtual accelerator ending in a live pitch, with real investment for the winner.

Grades7 to 12
CostFree
FormatIndividual
WhereOnline

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Math Modeling the Future Challenge Analyse a real dataset, quantify a risk, and make a recommendation, mentored by a working actuary.

Grades11 to 12
CostFree
FormatTeam
WhereOnline

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Business National Economics Challenge The only national economics competition for United States high school students, run in two divisions.

Grades9 to 12
CostFree
StructureDivisions by grade or level
FormatTeam
WhereBoth

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Scholarships and challenges Prudential Emerging Visionaries Awards for young people using financial or social innovation to solve a problem in their community.

Grades9 to 12
CostFree
FormatIndividual
WhereOnline

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Engineering STEM Racing (formerly F1 in Schools) Design, manufacture and race a miniature air-powered car, and run the team like a racing outfit. Rebranded from F1 in Schools to STEM Racing in 2024.

Grades6 to 12
Cost$200 to $3,000
StructureDivisions by grade or level
FormatTeam
WhereIn person

Check site

Business Wharton Investment Competition Manage a virtual portfolio for a fictional client and defend your strategy to Wharton judges.

Grades9 to 12
CostFree
FormatTeam
WhereBoth

27 days left

Questions people ask about this

What is the best business competition for a beginner?

Start with something rated 1 or 2 out of 5 for difficulty on this page. Those assume no prior competition experience and usually publish past problems or past winning entries so you know exactly what you are walking into.

Are there free business competitions?

12 of the 20 listed here have no entry fee for the student. Note that a free entry fee is not the same as a free competition: team-based events can carry materials and travel costs, which each listing states separately.

Business competitions for high school students

Questions people ask about this

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