“I definitely didn’t expect the event to be like this, so I think overall, I learned a lot more about how the stock market works. The competition was a big team-building thing, and I think a big part of our success was keeping track of our progress.”
– Avery, Evergreen High School student
Fall 2026 JA Stock Market Sessions
Northern Colorado: Oct. 29 at the Drake Centre in Fort Collins (9:30 to 11 a.m. or 12 to 1:30 p.m.)
Metro Denver: Nov. 5 at Infinity Park Event Center in Glendale (9 to 11 a.m. or 11:45 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.)
The Junior Achievement Stock Market Challenge and JA Take Stock in Your Future program introduce high school students to the fundamentals of stocks, the impact of world events on the stock market, long-term investing, and how investors make investment decisions and diversify their portfolios. Students then get to put their learning into practice in the JA Stock Market Challenge, a hands-on and high-tech immersive simulation.
Teams of high school students compete in a live stock market simulation to see who can grow their initial $500,000 investment into the largest net worth mock stock portfolio. Every 60 seconds in real life equates to one full day of trading, creating the same urgency and intensity investors would have on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. The top three winning teams are awarded trophies and are recognized on JA’s social media accounts.
Both the JA Take Stock in Your Future curriculum and the JA Stock Market Challenge are offered at no cost to schools.
JA Take Stock in Your Future Curriculum
Includes five educator-led sessions. If preferred, classes may register for JA Take Stock in Your Future without participating in the JA Stock Market Challenge.
Volunteering
During the event, volunteers assume the roles of floor traders and press release runners. Floor traders enter team trades into tablets, which are immediately transferred to the giant trading screens for all participants to see. Press release runners distribute news, which guides participants’ decisions on the stocks they wish to buy or sell.
Program Impact
Special Thanks to our Student Event Sponsors!
