Terms of Use
By inquiring about or applying to the Student Investment Challenge (SIC), you agree to these Terms of Use. They cover eligibility, access to the program and platform, intellectual property in your submissions, acceptable use, mentor-relationship boundaries, recognition disclaimers, and how the terms can change.
Acceptance of Terms
These Terms of Use govern your access to and use of the Student Investment Challenge (SIC), including this website, the Bloom platform, the WhatsApp program desk, and all program activities (intake, Regional Stage, Omaha Dialogue Summit, Global Stage). By initiating intake via WhatsApp or by accessing program materials, you agree to these terms. If you do not agree, do not proceed with the program.
If you are a minor (typically grades 6–9), your parent or guardian must accept these terms on your behalf during intake.
Eligibility
SIC is open to students in grades 6 through 12 worldwide. Specific eligibility requirements are detailed on the Competition Format page. SKT reserves the right to verify eligibility at any time and to decline or withdraw participation if eligibility criteria are not met.
Account & Platform Access
Active SIC participants receive credentials to the Bloom platform (绽放芯知) for the duration of the season. These credentials are personal, non-transferable, and must not be shared with non-participants. Senior teams receive shared team workspace credentials; team captains are responsible for ensuring only registered team members access the workspace.
You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your credentials. Notify the SIC program desk immediately if you suspect unauthorized access.
Submissions & Intellectual Property
You retain full copyright in the original work you submit to SIC — your weekly thesis logs, your Senior Division strategy report, your portfolio commentary, and your Global Stage final entry.
By submitting work to SIC, you grant SKT a non-exclusive, worldwide license to: (a) display your submission to mentors and judges for the purpose of program operations and scoring; (b) retain your submission in the program archive for the period described in our Privacy Policy §05; and (c) — only with your explicit, separate consent — publish your submission in the Hall of Fame archive with your chosen name-display preference.
Acceptable Use
You agree not to use SIC, the Bloom platform, or any program communication channel to:
- Submit work that is not your own (see Academic Integrity for details on plagiarism and AI-use disclosure).
- Manipulate the simulated trading platform through coordination with other participants outside permitted team boundaries.
- Impersonate another participant, mentor, judge, or SIC staff member.
- Harass, threaten, or discriminate against other participants, mentors, or staff.
- Access or attempt to access other participants’ accounts, draft submissions, or private mentor communications.
- Use the program’s name, logos, or affiliated institution names (CEE, ACME, SKT) for any commercial or promotional purpose without written authorization.
Mentor Relationship
SIC mentors provide academic coaching on investment thinking, analytical frameworks, and submission structure. Mentors do not provide personalized investment advice, fiduciary recommendations, or financial planning services. No fiduciary relationship is created by mentor-participant interaction. The thoughts shared in mentor office hours are educational, not investment recommendations for real-world capital.
Mentors operating in volunteer or honorarium capacities do not represent their employing institutions in their SIC capacity. Views expressed are personal and academic, not institutional.
No Financial Advice — Simulated Trading Only
SIC is an educational program. All trading activity within the program occurs on a simulated platform with virtual capital. No real money is deployed, no real returns are generated, and no SIC submission, mentor comment, or judging note constitutes investment advice, an offer to buy or sell securities, or a recommendation regarding any specific financial instrument.
Participants and their parents understand that any decision to engage in real-world investing — before, during, or after SIC participation — is independent of the program and not influenced by SIC.
Recognition & Awards Disclaimer
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 and the Competition Format page for details).
Featured Cohort recognition is an academic publication decision, not a competition prize. It does not include cash, scholarships, or guarantees of any kind. No participant outcome — including university admissions outcomes — is guaranteed by SIC participation or Featured Cohort recognition.
Termination
SKT reserves the right to remove a participant from the active season for material violation of these Terms, the Academic Integrity policy, or applicable law. Where practical, participants will be given notice and an opportunity to respond before removal.
Participants may withdraw from the program voluntarily at any time by notifying the program desk via WhatsApp. Withdrawal does not entitle the participant to refund of any program fees paid (fee handling, if applicable, is discussed during intake and is non-refundable post-Regional Stage opening, except as required by law).
Disclaimers & Liability
SIC, the Bloom platform, and all program materials are provided “as is” for educational purposes. SKT makes no warranties — express or implied — regarding the accuracy of market data displayed in the simulator, the suitability of any analytical framework for real-world use, or any outcome of program participation.
To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, SKT’s total liability arising out of or related to SIC participation is limited to the amount of program fees paid by the participant for the current season. SKT is not liable for indirect, consequential, or incidental damages.
Nothing in this section excludes or limits liability that cannot be excluded under applicable law.
Governing Law & Changes to Terms
These Terms are governed by the laws of the People’s Republic of China. Any dispute arising from SIC participation that cannot be resolved through the program desk shall be submitted to the courts of competent jurisdiction in Shanghai, PRC.
SKT may update these Terms from time to time. Material changes are announced via WhatsApp broadcast to active participants and posted here with the updated “Last updated” date. Continued participation after a material change constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms; participants who do not accept the changes may withdraw under §09.