The Youth Sustainable Investment Challenge (YSIC) is a global virtual portfolio competition organized by YEFA (Youth Entrepreneurship and Finance Association), focused on real-world investment decision-making, ESG awareness, and financial literacy. In 2025, the competition attracted 181 teams and 442 participants from 12 countries including the US, China, Canada, Singapore, India, and the UAE.
Teams manage a $1,000,000 virtual portfolio using StockTrak — the same professional simulated trading platform used by Wharton and DECA competitions — with real-time US market data.
Three-stage structure:
| Stage | Dates | What you do |
|---|---|---|
| Round 1 — Portfolio Construction | Jun 29 – Sep 4, 2026 | Build and manage $1M virtual portfolio; min. 2 trades, at least 1 ESG stock, cash ≤ 20%; top 60 advance |
| Round 2 — Investment Strategy Report | Sep 6–15, 2026 | Submit 1,000-word investment strategy report with ESG and social impact analysis; top 10 advance |
| Final Round — Global Online Pitch | Sep 26, 2026 | 8-min portfolio presentation + 2-min ESG/impact proposal + 5-min Q&A with Wall Street judges |
2026 timeline:
| Milestone | Date |
|---|---|
| Registration & team formation | June 28, 2026 |
| Round 1 begins | June 29, 2026 |
| Midpoint check | August 17, 2026 |
| Top 60 announced | September 5, 2026 |
| Top 30 & Top 10 announced | September 15, 2026 |
| Final pitch | September 26, 2026 |
Awards:
- 1st place: $500 cash + recommendation letter + SCISS Elite Summer Program benefit ($5,500 value)
- 2nd place: $300 cash + same benefits
- 3rd place: $200 cash + same benefits
- Semi-finalists: certificate + Wall Street networking + media exposure + YEFA Annual Impact Report feature
- All participants: Youth Sustainable Investor Certificate + ESG research tools