How to run a paper trading competition at university

Choose the learning goal

Decide what participants should practise: market research, portfolio construction, risk awareness, or explaining a decision. A competition is easier to run when its goal is clear before the first participant joins.

Set a simple season

Choose a start and end date, who may join, and how winners are recognised. A short pilot is usually easier to explain and improve than an open-ended league.

• Publish eligibility and the join deadline.
• State whether entries are individual or team-based.
• Explain how participants can ask rules questions.

Make fair play visible

Use paper portfolios only and set expectations about account ownership and appropriate conduct. Publish the scoring approach before the competition begins, then use the same approach throughout the season.

Close with a learning debrief

Invite participants to explain a decision, discuss risk, and compare approaches. Avoid treating a simulated result as proof that a strategy will work with real money.