Competitions · Season calendar

Business & Economics Competitions:
Format, Dates & Prep for Irvine Students

10 business & economics competitions in school-year order; 8 have official dates for this season.

Business & Economics Competitions: Format, Dates & Prep for Irvine Students
Photo: RDNE Stock project / Pexels

Business & Economics (10)

  1. Sep282026Wharton Global High School Investment CompetitionThis is an investment competition branded by an Ivy League business school, open worldwide, and judged on the quality of reasoning rather than returns - which makes it unusually credible on a business or economics application. Reaching the top ten means presenting in person at Wharton in Philadelphia, an experience that supports both essays and a teacher recommendation with concrete detail. For Irvine families the practical appeal is that it is entirely free and runs online; all it takes is a teacher willing to serve as Advisor.HighHigh school students in grades 9-12 worldwide. Teams have four to six members from the same high school and must keep at least four members throughout; each student may join only one team. A teacher or educator at the school must register as the Advisor - students cannot sign themselves up - and the designated student team leader must be at least 16 on the first day of competition.Register by Sep 11
  2. Oct302026The Conrad ChallengeWhat distinguishes Conrad is that it does not merely judge the idea - it makes students walk the whole venture process: lean canvas, customer validation, business model, financial projections, and finally a live pitch at Space Center Houston to real investors and engineers. For technically strong Irvine students who want to show commercial thinking, it is the best available container for turning a STEM project into a narrative. With five categories spanning water, health, energy, cybersecurity and aerospace, almost any research interest finds a home.MiddleHighStudents aged 13-18 worldwide, in teams of two to five, with one adult coach aged 18 or over as supervisor. Team members may come from different institutions - siblings, classmates and cross-school teams are all allowed - and past competitors may return provided they still meet the age and other criteria. No new members may be added after the Activation Stage submission, though members may be removed.Register by Oct 29
  3. Jan82027DECA High School Competitive Events (District CDC, State CDC and ICDC)DECA is the mainstream route through the American high school business-club system, with well over two hundred thousand members, and admissions readers understand its tiers: a district placement says you are strong locally, a state placement says you can compete in California, and an ICDC top ten is a national signal. Just as valuable are the transferable skills - reading a case against the clock, structuring an argument, and pitching to an unfamiliar judge - which are exactly what business interviews and university case clubs demand. The 2027 ICDC is in Anaheim, a home-field advantage for Irvine students.HighStudents must be dues-paid members of a chartered school DECA chapter and entered in the national membership portal before the posted deadlines. Members are typically high schoolers enrolled in marketing, business management, finance or hospitality CTE coursework. In California students compete first at a District CDC, then at the State CDC, and state placement determines the ICDC delegation.Register by Nov 15
  4. Feb102027Diamond ChallengeDiamond Challenge is one of the few global high school entrepreneurship competitions run directly by a research university's entrepreneurship center with a prize pool in the six figures, and it judges commercial logic rather than polish. Its practical value is threefold: it forces students to turn an idea into a business narrative that survives scrutiny; the two tracks give social-impact projects a legitimate home rather than forcing them into a profit frame; and reaching the Summit at the University of Delaware is verifiable third-party validation.HighHigh school students worldwide, aged 14-18 on the submission deadline. Teams have two to four students and must include one adult advisor aged 21 or older; multiple advisors are allowed but only one may be listed on the official submission. Each student may join only one team and submit one concept per year, concepts that previously reached the Summit may not be resubmitted, and a concept must not have generated more than $100,000 in total revenue.Register by Jan 14
  5. Mar13–272027International Economics Olympiad (IEO), with the US selection route USAEBOThe IEO is the international olympiad for economics, part of the same national-team system as the mathematics and physics olympiads, which makes it far scarcer than an ordinary business competition - the United States sends only five students a year. For Irvine students targeting top economics programs, even a Round 2 medal in USAEBO is a nationally comparable credential. And because USAEBO Round 1 is open to everyone and taken online, the cost of trying is minimal for any student who has done AP Economics.MiddleHighIEO contestants must be under 20 on 30 June of the Olympiad year, and each country sends at most five students with one or two team leaders. The U.S. route, USAEBO, is open to entrants of any citizenship, but to be named to Team USA a student must be a U.S. citizen, U.S. permanent resident (green card holder), or a full-time middle or high school student studying in the U.S., and be 20 or under on the first day of the IEO.Register by Feb 27
  6. Apr22026National Economics Challenge (NEC)NEC is the only nationwide high school economics team contest run by the Council for Economic Education, with affiliates in all fifty states, and admissions readers treat it as a genuine subject olympiad rather than a business camp. Because it tests micro, macro and current events together, it corroborates real depth behind an AP Economics score. For Irvine students aiming at business, economics or public policy, a state championship or a national semifinal berth is one of the strongest single lines on an activity list.MiddleHighU.S. high school students, entered in one of two divisions: the David Ricardo Division (first-time competitors who have taken no more than one general economics course) and the Adam Smith Division (AP, IB, honors or college-level economics students, plus any returning competitor). Teams have 3-4 students and must be registered, created and proctored by a teacher at their own school. California additionally runs a Middle School Division.Register by Apr 8
  7. Apr222027FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America) Competitive EventsFBLA and DECA are the two dominant high school business organizations in the United States, and FBLA's event list is broader - accounting, economics, coding, web design and public speaking all live in one system - so students can find a lane that matches an existing strength. It is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as a co-curricular career and technical student organization, and California FBLA is chartered by the California Department of Education, which gives it institutional standing in transcripts and recommendation letters. For students who straddle humanities and quantitative work, it is a low-barrier way to turn business interest into verifiable awards.MiddleHighStudents must be dues-paid members of a school FBLA chapter, covering both national and state dues, and be entered before their state association's payment deadline. California members are expected to be enrolled in or planning to take CTE or ROP business coursework. Students compete first at their Section Leadership Conference, then qualify for the California State Leadership Conference, and state placement determines the national NLC delegation.
  8. May5–92027Business Professionals of America (BPA) Competitive EventsBPA sits alongside DECA and FBLA as one of the three major U.S. high school business organizations, but its distinguishing feature is how many events are hands-on technical work - spreadsheet modeling, databases, cybersecurity, programming, graphic design. That suits students whose business interest has a technical edge. For applicants targeting information systems, business analytics or accounting, a BPA event title communicates a concrete skill far better than a generic business-competition award.MiddleHighUnivStudents must be members of a chartered BPA chapter, in one of three student divisions - Middle Level, Secondary and Postsecondary - and are typically enrolled in business, CTE or related coursework. A secondary student may enter at most two competitive events, only one of which may be a team event, plus an unlimited number of Open Events, which require no prior qualification at the state or national conference.

Dates to be announced

  1. TBAHarvard Crimson Business Competition (HCBC)One clarification comes first: the "Harvard Case Business Challenge" that parents often hear about is not an official competition name. The real contest matching the HCBC acronym is the Harvard Crimson Business Competition, co-run by the Harvard student newspaper The Harvard Crimson and the UK education body ASEEDER - not by Harvard University itself. Meanwhile the Harvard Undergraduate Economics Association's actual pre-college contests are HPEC and the HIEEC essay contest. HCBC does offer a genuine experience of writing a business plan and pitching on campus, but in U.S. admissions it carries clearly less weight than competitions with public, tiered qualification such as NEC or DECA's ICDC, so treat it as a supplement rather than a centerpiece.MiddleHighMiddle and high school students worldwide, in a Junior Division (grades 6-9) and a Senior Division (grades 10-12). Students may enter individually or in teams of three to eight for the preliminary round, reduced to three or four for the on-campus Championship Round. Note that "Harvard Case Business Challenge", a name circulated online, is not the official title - the competition is the Harvard Crimson Business Competition.
  2. TBAStudent Investor Challenge (historically run by The London Institute of Banking & Finance, LIBF)For students in British-curriculum settings or drawn to UK financial education, the Student Investor Challenge is a rare free, low-barrier investment contest that can lead to a live final in London. The twin-portfolio design - a fast Active book and a constrained Strategic book - trains discipline better than a single stock-picking game, and the idle-cash penalty is a realistic touch. Irvine families should note the limitation, though: prizes and progression past round one are restricted to UK teams, so a U.S.-based student can only enter round one and compete for International Trader of the Year. Treat it as evidence of interest and skill rather than a major admissions credential.HighStudents aged 14-19 in teams of four, registered by a teacher using a seven-digit Teacher Reference Number. Teams outside the UK may take part but only in round one, competing solely for the International Online Trader of the Year prize; semifinals and the grand final are open to UK teams only. Teachers may enter their own teams against students but are not eligible for prizes.

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