12 Online Business Competitions for High School Students
This blog lists 12 great online business competitions for high school students.
If you’re a high school student thinking about business, it makes sense to work on a skillset early on. Business competitions are one of the easiest ways to see where you stand in terms of practical experience. These contests give you a chance to build something, work with people from various fields, and get feedback from professionals.
If you’re planning to study business, economics, or management later, this is the kind of experience that can help add weight to your resume. It also helps when writing your Statement of Purpose or applying for research internships in college. Some competitions offer cash prizes or support to help launch your idea, but even if you don’t win, you’ll finish with a solid project and solid experience.
To help you get started, here’s a list of 12 great online business competitions for high school students!
12 Online Business Competitions for High School Students
Blue Ocean Competition
Location: Virtual
Participation Fee: Free
Registration Deadline: February 22
Dates: February 22 – May 13
Eligibility: High school students who are 14 to 18 years old at the time of registration
The Blue Ocean Competition challenges high school students to pitch original business ideas that solve real-world problems or tap into untapped markets. You’ll submit a 5-minute video explaining your idea, how it works, who it helps, and what makes it different.
You can work solo or in a team of up to four. You can utilize Blue Ocean tools, such as the Strategy Canvas and ERRC Grid, in your pitch. Videos must be under 5 minutes in length, in English, and uploaded to YouTube. The top 100 pitches are posted online, then judges narrow them down to 25, then 10, and finally select the winners. Prizes range from $500 to $1,000.
The Diamond Challenge
Location: The pitching rounds are held virtually and in person, but at least one member from each finalist team must attend the final presentation in person at the University of Delaware in Newark, DE.
Participation Fee: Free
Registration Deadline: January 16
Dates: Students must submit their concept by January 16. The Pitching Round starts on February 18, finalists are announced on March 16, and the Limitless World Summit takes place on May 1–2.
Eligibility: High school students aged 14–18 by the submission deadline can participate in teams of 2 to 4 students.
The Diamond Challenge, run by the University of Delaware, is a global pitch competition for high school students. You join teams of 2 to 4 with one adult advisor. You choose between two tracks: Business Innovation for profit-based ideas or Social Innovation for solutions to social or environmental problems.
In round one, you submit a 3 to 5-page concept paper, a pitch deck, and a 60-second intro video. Selected teams move to the next round with a 5-minute pitch using up to 15 slides. Finalists present at the Limitless World Summit, where at least one team member must attend in person. Top teams in each track win $12,000, $8,000, or $4,500 and receive feedback from mentors during the event. You can check out our full review of the Diamond Challenge here!
FCCLA Virtual Business Challenge
Location: Virtual
Participation Fee: Free
Registration Deadline: It varies by round; registration opens on October 1.
Dates: Round One: October 14 – November 8; Round Two: February 3 – February 28. The National Championship Round will be held online from March 31 to April 4 and is only open to teams that qualify.
Eligibility: High school students in grades 9–12 who are FCCLA members
The FCCLA Virtual Business Challenge is an online competition where you take part in business simulations focused on personal finance and fashion management. It is open to high school students who are FCCLA members. The event is run by Knowledge Matters and takes place in two rounds.
You can join one or both rounds using the Virtual Business software. Each round starts at 10 AM EST and ends at 5 PM EST on the final day. Your work is auto-scored and ranked in real time. You can submit as many times as you want, but only your best score will count. Top teams from each round qualify for the online National Championship.
Winners at nationals get $1,000 for first place, $500 for second, and $250 for third. These teams are also invited to demo the software at the Knowledge Matters exhibit during the National Leadership Conference.
Global Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge
Location: Virtual
Participation Fee: 10,000 yen per team (approximately $70)
Registration Deadline: March 21
Dates: The Preliminary Round is on April 12, and the Final Round is set for May 17. The competition lasts a total of 12 hours.
Eligibility: High school students aged 14–18
GYEC is a 12-hour online business competition where you work in a team to solve a global problem using ideas from science, technology, and business. You’ll build a business idea that addresses a real issue like the environment, education, or social welfare. You need a team of 3 to 8 high school students with different skills, such as marketing, communication, science, tech, or business. First, you compete in a national round. Winners from each country move on to the global finals.
On the day of the challenge, the problem is released at 8 AM. You have 12 hours to submit two things: a two-page write-up and a three-minute video pitch, both in English. Judges score you on creativity, planning, marketing, and communication. Winners get a trophy and a certificate. All participants receive a certificate and feedback.
SAGE USA Competition
Location: Virtual
Participation Fee: Free
Registration Deadline: May 2
Dates: May 2 – May 16; winners will be announced on May 23
Eligibility: Students aged 13–19
SAGE USA National Competition is a pitch-based business contest where high school teams present their ventures to judges for a chance to qualify for the SAGE World Cup. Each team takes part in a 20-minute Zoom session that includes a 13-minute live pitch and a 7-minute Q&A. You also submit a four-page annual report that covers your business’s work, results, and impact. You can add slides, videos, or product demos, but the focus is on the content, not physical items.
Judges look for five things in your project: how you made decisions, handled challenges, tracked progress, created measurable outcomes, and managed your team. You must submit the report by May 2 to schedule your slot. Zoom presentations are held between May 2 and May 16. Results go live on May 23 on SAGE USA’s Instagram and website. The top two teams from this round will represent the U.S. at the global competition.
Wharton Global High School Investment Competition
Location: Virtual; the Global Finale can be attended virtually via videoconference or in person at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia
Participation Fee: Free
Registration Deadline: September 12
Dates: Trading on WInS runs from September 29 to December 5. The midterm report is due on October 31, and the final report is due on December 8.
Eligibility: High school students in grades 9–12 who are 14–18 years old
Wharton Global High School Investment Competition is a free, 10-week challenge where high school teams manage a $250,000 mock portfolio using the Wharton Investment Simulator. In teams of 4 to 7 with a teacher’s help, you trade U.S. stocks, ETFs, and Treasury bonds while learning about risk, strategy, and teamwork. You submit two reports to explain your decisions and qualify for the semifinals.
All teams that submit get participation badges. Finalists and semi-finalists get certificates. The top 10 teams present at the Global Finale at UPenn. Global winners get free access to Wharton’s summer programs and a personal finance course. The winning school can fast-track one team into next year’s semifinals.
Citizen Entrepreneurship Competition (CEC)
Location: Virtual
Participation Fee: Free
Registration Deadline: May 12
Dates: May 12 – August 12
Eligibility: Students aged 13 and above
Citizen Entrepreneurship Competition is open to anyone aged 13 and up. You can pitch a new business idea or a project for an existing organization, as long as it supports one of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals. The idea can focus on anything from climate action to education to clean energy.
The contest runs in three stages. First, you submit your idea and a short pitch. If selected, you complete two short online courses and build your project using the Entrepreneurial Design Canvas. Once submitted, your idea goes live for public voting. The ten most-voted projects go to the final round, where judges pick the winners. Results are announced during an online ceremony.
Ithaca College High School Investment Competition
Location: Virtual
Participation Fee: The competition is free for high school students to join, but teachers or advisors must pay a registration fee.
Registration Deadline: November 10
Dates: Trading starts on November 11 and runs through March 28.
Eligibility: U.S. high school students in grades 9–12
Ithaca College High School Investment Competition is a free stock market challenge for high school teams of 3 to 6 students, led by one adult advisor who pays a small registration fee. Each team gets $1,000,000 in virtual cash to invest in individual stocks priced above $5 on the NYSE or NASDAQ.
You can make up to 500 trades during the competition. Tools like Google Finance are allowed to guide your decisions. Winners are based on portfolio returns. Top teams earn $3,000 for first, $2,000 for second, and $1,000 for third. You’ll learn how the market works in real time, and high school seniors who apply to Ithaca College may get an application fee waiver.
Capitol Hill Challenge
Location: The competition is held virtually, and a celebration for the winning teams will take place in June, either in person or online.
Participation Fee: Free
Registration Deadline: January 27
Dates: January 27 – May 2
Eligibility: The competition is open to public high school students by invitation only from the SIFMA Foundation. Priority is given to Title I public middle and high schools that qualify for need-based federal assistance.
The Capitol Hill Challenge is a free national competition for public middle and high school students, run by the SIFMA Foundation. Each year, students from all U.S. congressional districts take part, with Members of Congress paired with schools in their districts.
You’ll manage a $100,000 virtual portfolio using the Stock Market Game. You can invest in stocks, bonds, mutual funds, impact funds, and cash. The goal is to grow your portfolio while learning how markets work. Along the way, you’ll develop finance and economic skills and improve your teamwork. The top 10 teams get national recognition, awards, and a chance to meet business and government leaders.
NFTE World Series of Innovation (WSI) — Impact League Challenge
Location: Virtual
Participation Fee: Free
Registration Deadline: December 15
Dates: Students must submit their entries by December 15, with winners announced on April 24.
Eligibility: Students aged 13–24 worldwide are eligible to participate in the Impact League Challenge; high school students are strongly encouraged to participate.
The NFTE WSI Impact League Challenge is an online competition for students aged 13 to 24. You choose a challenge based on the UN Sustainable Development Goals, such as clean water, climate action, public health, or responsible AI. Each challenge is sponsored by a company or nonprofit.
You can enter alone or with a team. Pick a challenge, click “Accept Challenge” or “Get Started,” and submit your idea using the online form. Judges score entries on creativity, impact, and feasibility. Winners earn cash prizes. It’s a chance to build real-world problem-solving skills while working on something meaningful.
Big Idea Competition
Location: The competition is held virtually; the final competition can be attended online or in person at Northern State University in Aberdeen, South Dakota.
Participation Fee: Free
Registration Deadline: October 24
Dates: Final business idea entries are due by October 31. The online final will take place on December 9 via Zoom, and the in-person final will be held on December 10.
Eligibility: High school students currently enrolled in a public or private school, or who are homeschooled
The Big Idea Competition is a pitch contest for high school students. You can enter alone or in a team of up to three. You’re allowed to submit more than one entry if each idea is different, but each submission needs its login. To enter, you’ll submit a written report covering your idea, market, competitors, and how you plan to run it, along with a 30 to 60-second video pitch.
If selected as one of eight finalists, you’ll give a 6-minute live pitch to a panel of judges. Finalists are announced in mid-November, and awards are given the same day. All students can win a $500 cash prize and $500 scholarship in the wellness category. You can check out previous winners here.
UT Dallas Top Trader Stock Market Competition
Location: Virtual
Participation Fee: Non-refundable registration fee of $50
Registration Deadline: May 23
Dates: June 3 – July 25
Eligibility: Rising 9th–12th grade students who are U.S. citizens or legal residents with a valid Social Security number
The Top Trader Competition is a summer program hosted by the University of Texas at Dallas for high school students interested in stock trading and finance. You’ll start with $1 million in virtual funds to invest in stocks and ETFs, using an online trading simulator to grow your portfolio. The top five students with the highest returns win cash prizes ranging from $200 to $600. Alongside the trading, you’ll watch short educational videos and take quizzes to sharpen your financial skills.
If you’re interested in refining or working on your startup before gaining competitive experience, consider the Young Founders Lab!
The Young Founders Lab is a startup boot camp founded and run by Harvard entrepreneurs. In this program, you will work towards building a revenue-generating start-up that addresses a real-world problem. You will also have the opportunity to be mentored by established entrepreneurs and professionals from Google, Microsoft, and X.
You can access the application here!