What is Investwrite?

Your students have entered the world of business and finance by participating in The Stock Market Game program. The perfect companion, our teacher-designed writing component and competition, reinforces their newfound knowledge and hones critical thinking skills.

Utilizing feedback from teachers nationwide, InvestWrite builds a bridge between classroom learning and the real world. InvestWrite complements The Stock Market Game program learning experience and easily integrates across subjects throughout your curriculum. Whether you and your students win laptops, trips to New York, pizza parties or not, you'll all benefit by enhancing your Stock Market Game program experience through writing.

South Carolina has proudly awarded FOUR National InvestWrite winners in the last two years!

Contest Details

  • Every student currently registered in The Stock Market Game program with a valid team login ID and password is eligible.

  • Your students participate by writing essays in their grade division: Elementary (4-5), Middle School (6-8), High School (9-12).

  • Every assignment introduces or relates to investment principles linked to The Stock Market Game program. Each InvestWrite assignment ties to various lessons throughout the curriculum.

  • Teachers can choose to assign the InvestWrite writing assignment as an in-class or homework assignment.

  • Both teachers and students will have a chance to win gift certificates, laptop computers, trips to New York (middle and high school), and other great prizes.

  • Each participating student submission has a chance to be reviewed by the competition's first round judge...you, the teacher.

  • Then, as the first round judge, you select the top ten responses from each class or group of participants (based on the guidelines and directions).

  • Submit your top ten responses from each class electronically to the next round of evaluation at the national level on the InvestWrite website.

Judging Process

The first round judge is you, the teacher. Once you have selected the top ten essays from your class and submitted them to the national InvestWrite competition, they will be scored by four additional judges. The national judges are members of the securities industry that support the SIFMA Foundation. Each essay is scored based on the following three criteria which are equally weighted:

Understanding the Subject Matter:

Does the student exhibit knowledge regarding the concept of researching and planning an investment strategy? The student should address the scenario using relevant terminology and display an understanding of the core concepts of the stock market in the scenario.

Rationale:

Is the essay thoughtful? The written argument should be presented in a manner that indicates there was a logical thinking process involved in addressing the assignment.

Writing Style:

Is the student's work interesting to read? Does the written response encourage the reader to continue reading to the conclusion of the essay? Students have an opportunity in this exercise to exhibit the ability to communicate thoughts in an engaging and inviting manner, rather than focusing on grammar and spelling.


InvestWrite 2021-2022 Winners!

Andrew Jennings 1st Place Middle School Division Fall 2021
5.9_STATE_SC_MS_Andrew_Jennings (1).docx
Kelly Killoren 1st Place High School Division Fall 2021
4.19_STATE_SC_HS_Kelly Killoren (1).docx

InvestWrite 2019-2020 Winners!

Vishnu Abboy of Green Charter School was the 1st Place elementary InvestWrite winner for Spring 2020. Vishnu joins a legacy of InvestWrite winners, as his older brother was our state winner from last year! Pictured above, the Abboy family was congratulated by Jim Morris and Chandler Jordan of SC Economics and Lisa Donnini from the SIFMA Foundation.

Hayley Hightower of Kelly Mill Middle School pitched a $50,000 investment plan to fund her dream to attend college and become a sports agent and now she’s being recognized as the best in South Carolina! Reflecting on Oprah Winfrey’s inspiring statement, “Whatever our dreams, ideas or projects, we plant a seed, nurture it and then reap the fruits of our labor,” Hayley Hightower pitched virtual investors for a capital investment to seed her dream and her financial plan was so compelling that it won her first in South Carolina in the Fall 2019 InvestWrite® competition.

Sarah Gesiler of Beaufort High School was named the 3rd Place Winner of the National InvestWrite writing competition sponsored by the SIFMA Foundation. In conjunction with the Stock Market Game, students are encouraged to enter this essay competition which expounds on their investment knowledge. Sarah's teacher, Ms. Erika Marshall, has been an advocate for SC Economics programming for years and was identified by our State Treasurer, Curtis Loftis, as a South Carolina Financial Literacy Master Teacher in 2020.

Sign up to have industry professionals visit your classes to deepen students’ understanding of the role of capital markets in everyday life. Guest speakers enliven the classroom and provide a role model for students. Invest It Forward provides speakers with presentation materials which correlate to the Stock Market Game. The program is free for teachers.

Register HERE!