2026 Stevens High Frequency Trading Competition

Representation of digital money with a plastic laptop, $5 bill and circuit board.

The Stevens School of Business is holding its annual High Frequency Trading Competition that realistically simulates how modern high-speed financial markets operate. In this unique team trading competition, teams will be required to architect, code, and deploy strategies for intraday algorithmic trading.  The winner of the competition receives a $2,000 prize.

Registration Link

HFTC 26 webpage

Why should students apply?

This competition gives students the chance to improve their coding skills and gain a better understanding of how financial markets work by using their creativity and ability to innovate.

How does the competition work?

In this unique team trading competition, teams will develop their own code to perform algorithmic trading. Students will use the SHIFT high-frequency trading simulation platform, which can realistically simulate the behavior of modern high-frequency financial markets by allowing users to test scenarios and strategies under real-world conditions.

Who can participate?

Participants can be undergraduate or graduate students from the same or different universities within the US or outside the US. At least one member of the team must be familiar with Python programming and GitHub. Each team must consist of two to four members. Additional information can be found in the registration form.

Prizes:

The winning team of the competition receives a $2,000 prize. The second-place team receives $1,200, and the third-place team earns $400.

Cost:

Teams will be selected and notified by February 20, 2026. Selected teams will pay a non-refundable $100 registration fee by February 27, 2026.

Important Dates:

  • Application Deadline: February 1, 2026

  • Technical Assessment Release: February 6, 2026

  • Technical Assessment Deadline: February 13, 2026

  • Final Selection Notification: February 20, 2026

  • Registration Deadline: February 27, 2026

  • Orientation Session: March 4, 2026

  • Test Run 1: March 9, 2026

  • Test Run 2: March 13, 2026

  • Competition Trading Days: March 27 - April 24, 2026

  • Award Ceremony: May 1, 2026

Learn more about last year's competition.

Find out more about Adam Moszczynski and Matthew Thomas, two former Stevens High Frequency Trading Competition winners.

Stevens HFTC Coordination Team
[email protected]

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