Two Tracks. Four Stages. One Rubric.
“What advances an entry isn’t the year’s return — it’s the year’s thinking, defended in writing.”
SIC S15 runs from March through August 2026 across two parallel competition tracks. Both tracks share the same four-axis academic rubric. Both tracks accept students from grades 6 through 12. Below: the eligibility rules, the two tracks in detail, the four-stage season, and exactly how entries are judged.
Who Can Apply
SIC is open to all students worldwide in grades 6 through 12. The choice of division — Junior or Senior — is yours; both accept all eligible grades. Choose based on whether you prefer individual portfolio work or collaborative research, not based on your age.
| Requirement | Junior Division | Senior Division |
|---|---|---|
| Grade level | Grades 6 – 12 | Grades 6 – 12 |
| Team size | Individual entry | Team of 2 – 4 students |
| School affiliation | Required for grades 6 – 9 (consent letter); optional for 10 – 12 | Required for grades 6 – 9 (consent letter); optional for 10 – 12 |
| Parent consent | Required for all participants under 18 | Required for all team members under 18 |
| Nationality / residency | No restriction — open globally | No restriction — open globally; team members may be from different countries |
| Prior competition history | Not required | Not required |
Trading Track — Individual Portfolio
The Junior Division puts each student in front of a simulated portfolio of their own. You trade on real-market data over the program window, and each week you file a written thesis log explaining the position changes you made and the evidence behind them. The thesis log is what gets judged at the end of the season — your portfolio NAV is only an input.
Trading Track Format
- What you build
- A simulated equities-and-ETFs portfolio managed continuously across the program window, plus a weekly thesis log filed to the SIC program desk.
- Platform
- An online portfolio simulator calibrated to live market data. Account setup and orientation are handled during WhatsApp intake.
- Submission cadence
- Weekly thesis log entries during the Regional Stage. The Global Stage submission is a final portfolio review with a written reflection on revision decisions made during the season.
- What gets judged
- The thesis log, not the NAV. Specifically: the clarity of position theses, the quality of evidence cited, the articulation of risk, and the discipline of revision when facts changed.
- Mentor access
- Office hours with practicing analysts during Regional Stage; bilingual support; access to the Omaha Dialogue Summit in May.
- Best fit
- Self-directed students who prefer working solo on a defined craft. If you enjoyed building one thing carefully across a long stretch of time, Junior fits you.
Strategy Track — Team of 2 to 4
The Senior Division asks a team of two to four students to author a single end-of-stage investment strategy report — a defended thesis on one company, sector, or macro position. The report is judged on the same four-axis academic rubric as the Junior thesis log, with the addition of team-work and structure criteria. The format mirrors a sell-side analyst initiation note, scaled appropriately.
Strategy Track Format
- What you build
- A single investment strategy report — typically 15 – 30 pages — defending one company, sector, or macro position. Plus an end-of-stage 20-minute video defense or written addendum.
- Team formation
- Teams of 2 – 4 students. Members may attend different schools, live in different countries, and split work across time zones. The team captain is the SIC program desk’s contact point.
- Submission cadence
- Mid-Regional draft review, Regional final, and Global Stage final. Each submission receives written rubric feedback from the program desk.
- What gets judged
- The four-axis rubric (clarity, evidence, risk, revision) plus structure & teamwork. Conviction over return. A moderate-return thesis with sharp reasoning advances above a high-return thesis with shifting logic.
- Mentor access
- Team mentor assignment during Regional Stage; office hours with practicing analysts; access to the Omaha Dialogue Summit; rubric-aligned written feedback at each submission.
- Best fit
- Collaborative students who enjoy debating a thesis, dividing research work, and producing one polished piece of intellectual output. If you’ve ever written a long paper with friends and enjoyed the process, Senior fits you.
S15 · March – August 2026
Every SIC season has the same four-stage shape. The midpoint Omaha Dialogue Summit is timed to the Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting — a tradition since S4. Schedule windows below; specific dates within each window are confirmed during WhatsApp intake.
Application
Inquiry window via the WhatsApp program desk. Advisors walk you through eligibility, division selection, consent paperwork, and platform onboarding. No online application form — every intake is a real conversation with program staff. Applications close June 1, 2026.
Regional Stage
Junior participants begin trading their simulated portfolio and filing weekly thesis logs. Senior teams build their research brief, with a mid-stage draft review. Office hours with practicing analysts are available weekly across multiple time zones. Submissions advance to the Global Stage based on the four-axis rubric — not on Regional NAV.
Omaha Dialogue Summit
Mid-program summit timed to the Berkshire Hathaway annual shareholders meeting. Practicing investors, alumni, and academic mentors gather for structured panels and small-group dialogues. Open to all active S15 participants; attendance details confirmed during intake. The Summit has been a fixed program event since S4.
Global Stage
Final submission round. Junior participants file a portfolio review with written reflection; Senior teams submit the final strategy report and defense. Entries are scored on the four-axis rubric. Featured entries are published with permission in the Hall of Fame after the Global Stage concludes.
Four Axes, Equally Weighted
SIC has, since S1, used the same four-axis academic rubric for both Junior and Senior submissions. Each axis carries equal weight. Portfolio return is not an axis — it is treated as evidence that supports or contradicts the thesis, but the thesis is what’s scored.
Thesis Clarity
Can a non-expert reader understand your investment thesis in two sentences? Is the bet — and what would make it wrong — stated explicitly? Vague theses score low even if the position works.
Evidence Quality
Are claims supported by primary sources — financial statements, regulatory filings, peer-reviewed research, ESG disclosures — rather than blog summaries or analyst headlines? Are alternative interpretations of the evidence considered?
Risk Articulation
What would have to be true for the thesis to lose? Have key risks been identified, sized, and addressed? ESG factors — climate exposure, governance quality, social license — must be analyzed as structural inputs, not appended as marketing.
Revision Discipline
When facts changed during the season, did the thesis update on schedule — or did it quietly mutate to fit whatever the position had done? Revision history is reviewed at each submission. Thoughtful revision earns points; silent rationalization loses them heavily.
How SIC Recognizes Strong Entries
SIC is an academic research program. Recognition is awarded through evaluation of research output and process — not through rank-based prizes (see footer Academic Notice). Below are the recognition tiers used at the end of each Global Stage. Entries are scored against the rubric; tiered recognition reflects the level of rubric evidence in the work, not a quota.
Entries demonstrating sustained excellence across all four rubric axes. Featured Cohort submissions are eligible for publication (with permission) in the SIC Hall of Fame, and for use by participants in their university applications.
Entries showing strong rubric performance with one or two axes that distinguished them — sharp thesis, exceptional evidence sourcing, or particularly disciplined revision history. Listed in the Hall of Fame season summary.
All participants who complete the Global Stage receive a Season Participation record, including a personalized rubric report on their final submission. This is the standard outcome for any participant who sees the season through.
About Competing in SIC
Can I switch from Junior to Senior (or back) mid-season?
Track choice is locked at the end of the Application stage (June 1). Once Regional Stage begins, you can’t switch — the submission formats and judging cadence differ. If you’re unsure which fits, the WhatsApp program desk walks you through the decision during intake.
What if my Senior team has members in different time zones?
Common. Most Senior teams operate across time zones, and the program desk schedules mentor office hours in multiple windows. The team captain coordinates internal meetings; SIC asks only that all team members participate in at least one full mentor session per submission cycle.
How much time per week does SIC actually take?
Junior Division: about 3 – 5 hours per week during Regional Stage (trading + thesis log), more during the Global Stage final review. Senior Division: about 5 – 8 hours per week per team member during Regional Stage, more during the Global Stage report sprint.
What’s the consequence of a single bad weekly thesis log?
Almost none, structurally. Revision Discipline is the fourth rubric axis precisely because we expect theses to be wrong sometimes — what matters is whether you acknowledge it and update on schedule. A single weak week handled with a clear updated rationale often scores higher than a stretch of unchanged-but-wrong theses.
Do I need a Bloomberg terminal or paid market data?
No. The simulation platform includes the market data needed for trading; primary-source research (10-K filings, regulatory disclosures, ESG reports) is freely available. SIC explicitly does not require paid data subscriptions, and entries are not judged on data-source affluence.
Can my submission be used for university admissions?
Yes — past participants have used both Junior thesis logs and Senior strategy reports in applications to leading business and economics programs worldwide. Featured Cohort entries are eligible for publication in the Hall of Fame (with permission), which gives admissions readers a verifiable archive to reference.
Applications Close June 1, 2026.
2026.03.20 — 2026.06.01 · Open now
SIC operates a WhatsApp-only intake. Scan the code at right to reach a real program advisor — they walk you through eligibility, division selection, and any consent paperwork your school may need.
There is no online registration form, and no third-party brokers. SIC is operated by SKT, endorsed by CEE, and academically supported by ACME.
