InvestWrite®
An innovative national writing competition offered exclusively to teachers and 4th–12th grade students in The Stock Market Game. Students turn what they learned into an essay about long-term investing, and thousands of financial professionals volunteer to judge it.
Writing that makes investing make sense
InvestWrite is the perfect companion to The Stock Market Game. Students apply their newly acquired financial knowledge in an essay about long-term investing, which hones critical thinking and English Language Arts skills and builds a bridge between classroom learning and the real world.
For over 20 years InvestWrite has illuminated saving and investing concepts for hundreds of thousands of students, and shown the power of writing as a tool for expressing complex ideas they can apply in their own financial futures.
It is designed to enhance the Stock Market Game experience without adding planning time. Everything a teacher needs is on the website.
Fall 2026 essay question
“During the Stock Market Game, which stock, bond or mutual fund investment taught you the biggest lesson? How can you use that lesson to build your own long-term, diversified investment portfolio and to educate others about long-term investing?”
- Grades 4–5: 300 to 800 words
- Grades 6–8: 400 to 900 words
- Grades 9–12: 500 to 1,000 words
- Submissions due Wednesday, December 9, 2026
- Spring 2027 question: first and last SMG investments, and how you would invest for college or retirement. Due Friday, March 19
Recognition for students, teachers, classrooms and families
Every participant can receive an InvestWrite Certificate of Achievement. The top 10 students in each division are recognized nationally, and state winners are honored by state Stock Market Game coordinators.
Medals, laptops and gift cards
Top 10 students in each division receive medals plus prizes such as laptops, cameras and gift cards.
Cash awards and a winner banner
Teachers of the top 10 essays receive awards and an InvestWrite Winner banner for the classroom.
Pizza parties and trophies
Winning classrooms get pizza parties or certificates; schools receive trophies; parents receive plaques.
Four steps from classroom to national winner
Assign
Stock Market Game advisors announce InvestWrite and invite their students to write.
Write and select
Students write individual essays. The teacher acts as first-round judge and submits the best ones online.
Judge
Volunteer judges score up to eight essays each on rationale, understanding of the subject and writing style.
Celebrate
Advisors with winning entries are notified about 10–12 weeks after the deadline. Then it's time to celebrate.
Source: sifmafoundation.org/investwrite home page (the 2023 stockmarketgame.org page lists 267,131 essays and 50,112 judges). To be confirmed by SIFMA.
National first-place winners
The top 10 in each division are listed in the full winners lists for each semester.
| Season | Elementary (4–5) | Middle school (6–8) | High school (9–12) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring 2026 | Shira Trilling, John Philip Sousa Elementary, NY | Aadya Awasthi, Dawson County Middle School, GA | Josephine Frimpong, Frederick Douglass High School, KY |
| Fall 2025 | Lilah Toy, Lowell Elementary School, CA | Carly Church, Bridgeport Middle School, WV | Adelaide Bride, Lexington High School, MA |
| Spring 2025 | Trinjan Chahal, Haun Elementary School, TX | Josephine Frimpong, Edythe J. Hayes Middle School, KY | Sahana Sethuraman, Terra Environmental Research Institute, FL |
| Fall 2024 | Neela Vangeti, Pine Lane Elementary School, CO | Chelsea Lu, Hyde Park Middle School, NV | Emily Bonavitacola, Paul D. Schreiber High School, NY |
Teachers and judges on InvestWrite
“InvestWrite is a great way for my students to integrate their reading and writing skills with their financial literacy learnings from the Stock Market Game.”
Katie EnnisElementary teacher, Paul R. Hanlon School, Westwood, MA“InvestWrite provides my students with a culminating opportunity to apply what they've learned throughout their classroom learning and their experiences with the Stock Market Game.”
Jessica ZarnkeHigh school teacher, Loyal School District, WI“I am always so impressed with how mature the writers sound and love that InvestWrite requires them to think of real-world situations, opportunities and issues.”
Michelle MullaneyVolunteer judge, Norwood, MA
Common questions
What does it cost to participate?
Absolutely no cost to qualifying participants. Teachers and students must be registered and taking part in The Stock Market Game during the eligible session.
How many essays can I submit?
One qualified essay per registered Stock Market Game student per session. We recommend submitting essays that represent a typical grade of C or better.
Do students work in teams?
No. Although the Stock Market Game is a team experience, each InvestWrite essay must be the individual student's own research, thinking and writing. Essays are screened for plagiarism and AI-generated text.
How are essays scored?
Each essay is blind-judged by volunteers on three criteria worth 100 points each: rationale, understanding of the subject matter, and writing style.
How can I become a judge?
Create an account on the InvestWrite site. Judges are approved by the SIFMA Foundation, read up to eight essays online and score them within three business days, which takes one to two hours.
Useful links
Fall 2026 Teacher Lesson Organizer and Rubric
Prompt, rules, essay structure and the scoring rubric.
Teacher Support Connection, Fall 2026
Office hours and 15–30 minute webinars from September to December.
Spring 2026 winners list
All national and state winners with schools and teachers.
Official rules
Eligibility, submission, judging and award conditions.
Connected programs
Judge InvestWrite essays this semester
Spend one to two hours online reading essays from students across the country.