HBCU Stock Market Challenge

The National HBCU Business Deans Roundtable is pleased to announce the Spring 2025 edition of the 6th Annual National HBCU Stock Market Challenge and Financial Literacy Campaign!

Prizes

As a result of increased support from Harris Stowe State University and our sponsors, we are pleased to announce the sponsorship of 6th Annual HBCU Stock Market Challenge. Students will now be competing for $12,000 in cash prizes. The challenge’s top 3 student winners will be awarded as follows:

  • 1st Prize = $5,000
  • 2nd Prize = $4,000
  • 3rd Prize = $3,000

Winners will be determined based on their overall positive portfolio performance, following the rules, and timely completion of the built-in Personal Finance curriculum.  See Official Rules Below. Click the button below to register.

Click Here To Register

Official Rules

  • The challenge is free and open to all students currently enrolled at a HBCU school in the Spring 2025 term.
  • Students may only enter once with an active HBCU email address and proof of enrollment if declared a winner.
  • Registration opens on Monday, January 27th, 2025, and closes at 11:59 PM ET on Monday, February 17th, 2025.
  • The competition begins Monday, February 24th, 2025, and will run through 11:59 PM ET on Friday  May 2nd , 2025.
  • Students will start with a virtual $100,000 in virtual cash.
  • Students can trade U.S. stocks, ETFs, crypto, mutual funds, and bonds.
  • There will be a position limit enforced so students cannot invest more than 10% of their money in any one security.
  • All participants will be required to use the website’s trade journal feature to document their decisions for making their trades.
  • Day trading, short selling and buying on margin are NOT allowed.
  • To be declared a winner, participants MUST
    • Have a positive portfolio return of greater than their $100,000 beginning cash balance provided.
    • Placed a minimum of 40 trades during the event.
    • Must have placed trades in February, March, April, and May. If you have not placed a trade in the aforementioned months, you cannot win.
    • Must use the Trade Journal feature to document decisions for making trades.
    • Complete all the Personal Finance Lessons by 11:59 PM ET on Friday, May 2nd, 2025 (examples of lessons listed below).
    • Provide a valid phone number and respond if you have been declared a winner of your acceptance within 72 hours of notification of an award.
    • Provide proof of attendance at a HBCU participating school.
    • Students must agree to supplying a photo and be available for a recorded interview to be made public as the organizing committee deems appropriate.
    • Not completing part of the requirements will disqualify you and the organizing committee shall go in descending order to award winners.
  • StockTrak Inc. shall be the final authority with respect to winners, awards, and distribution of prizing.
  • StockTrak’s audit team will declare the winner 7 business days after the competition ends.

Mandatory Personal Finance & Financial Literacy Assignments

Personal Finance Lessons will include:

  • What is a Stock?
  • What is an ETF?
  • What is a Bond?
  • What is a Mutual Fund?
  • What is the Dow Jones Industrial Average?
  • What is an Income Statement?
  • What is a Balance Sheet?
  • Basic Investing Strategies
  • Types of Insurance (Car, Health, Renters, Homeowner, Life)
  • Creating a Personal Budget
  • Buying a Car
  • Introduction to Mortgages
  • How do I Save to be a Millionaire (lesson on compounding)
  • Understanding Credit and Credit Cards
  • What is a Credit Score?
  • Credit Reports
  • Retirement Planning
  • Use the Investment Return Calculator
  • Use the Home Budgeting Calculator
  • Spending and Savings Plans
  • Budgeting and Spending Strategies
  • What is Wealth?
  • Preparing for spending shocks
  • Good debt and bad debt
  • Managing debt

Additional Sponsorship Provided by:

Each year, Stock-Trak serves more than 1,000 professors and their 75,000 business school students through its flagship website: www.StockTrak.com. Additionally, more than 82 percent of the top U.S. business schools have turned to Stock-Trak to complement their finance curricula with its practical learning software in the classroom and in finance labs.