The fifteenth season of the Student Investment Challenge opens to applications on March 20, 2026 and closes on June 1, 2026. As in every prior season, intake is WhatsApp-only — there is no online registration form, no third-party broker, no rolling deferred admission. The application window is the application window.
What “applying” actually means
The application is a conversation, not a form. A program advisor walks every prospective participant through three things:
- Eligibility check — grade level (6-12), school standing, parental consent for under-18 participants.
- Division selection — Junior (individual portfolio) or Senior (2-4 person team strategy).
- School-side paperwork — some schools require a sign-off; the advisor handles the template letter.
Most conversations are completed inside ten minutes. School-side paperwork takes longer when it is needed, which is roughly one in five cases.
What changes between seasons
The application window does not change. The rubric does not change. The intake channel does not change. What changes between S14 and S15:
- The verified-source allowlist is refreshed once per season (S15 list published April 5, 2026).
- The Omaha Dialogue Summit dates shift with the Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting calendar (S15: May 1-3, 2026).
- Featured Cohort selection criteria are tightened gradually each season; S15 will publish notes on this in mid-Regional.
“The application is a conversation because the conversation is the screening. Anyone willing to scan a code and talk for ten minutes has cleared the first bar.”
Common questions in the first 48 hours
Can I apply for both divisions? No. Each season is one division per participant. You can switch in a future season.
Do I need a finance background? No. SIC selects on willingness to engage with primary sources and discipline around revision, not on prior coursework. Multiple Featured Cohort members in the past three seasons were first-time SIC participants from non-finance academic tracks.
What if my school has never heard of SIC? The program desk has a template introduction letter for school administrators. Ask the advisor on intake.
Deadline mechanics
The June 1 deadline is firm. Applications received on June 2 enter the S16 (2027) intake list. There is no late window, no early decision, and no expedited review.
Scan the WhatsApp QR on the Contact page to start. The program desk responds within 24 hours during application windows.
— SIC Editorial Desk · S15 application open