Students from across the state will take the stage today as winners of the Spring 2026 Utah Treasurer’s Investment Challenge.
More than 2,500 students from urban and rural communities across Utah participated in the Spring 2026 challenge, representing elementary, middle, and high school divisions statewide.
The awards banquet will feature remarks from participating students and a keynote address by Robert Cummings, director of the Utah Division of Securities.
“As a teacher, this challenge is incredibly valuable because it gives students an engaging, hands-on way to explore investing and financial decision-making,” said Heather Bergholm, a teacher at Frontier Middle School in Eagle Mountain. “Students become more confident discussing financial concepts because they are actively applying what they learn in a real-world setting.”
Offered at no cost to schools, the Utah Treasurer’s Investment Challenge is a classroom-based stock market simulation for students in grades 4–12. Teams of three to five students manage a hypothetical $100,000 portfolio over a 10-week period, investing in stocks and diversified funds traded on major U.S. exchanges. Throughout the competition, students monitor market performance, evaluate risk, adjust investment strategies, and analyze financial trends.
In addition to the investment competition, students had the opportunity to participate in a supplemental essay and writing contest focused on financial literacy and personal finance topics. The writing contest encouraged students to strengthen critical thinking and communication skills while reflecting on the importance of financial education.
Beyond the competition itself, the initiative is designed to strengthen financial capability, reinforce economics instruction, and help students develop practical skills they can apply throughout their lives. Educators also have access to optional curriculum resources aligned with Utah’s financial literacy Strands and Standards.
The awards banquet begins at noon in the South Conference Center of the North Capitol Building. Registration check-in begins at 11:30 a.m. The event is open to the media. Due to capacity limitations, attendance for additional guests is by invitation only.
The Utah Office of State Treasurer hosts the investment challenge during both the fall and spring semesters and encourages Utah educators to participate in future challenges by registering at treasurer.utah.gov/investment-challenge.
