2024 Bourstad Challenge - the registration period is open!

MONTRÉAL, Jan. 16, 2024 /CNW/ - CIRANO and its Bourstad program sponsors, including the Autorité des marchés financiers, its main partner, today announced the official launch of the registration period for the 2024 Bourstad Challenge.

The 37th edition of the Bourstad Challenge, to be held from February 12 to April 12, 2024, offers novice and experienced investors a chance to win prizes worth close to $40,000. Available online at bourstad.ca, the Bourstad Challenge is open to high school, CEGEP and community college students, as well as to the general public, including university students. This year's honorary president is Mr. Benoit Desgroseillers, CRHA, Vice-President of Talent Development at Finance Montréal. Mr. Alexandre Bardoux, Regional Director of Regulation at the Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization, will chair the jury.

Participants in the 2024 Bourstad Challenge will be responsible for managing a virtual portfolio of $200,000, investing in a selection of over 700 real securities listed on the stock markets. At the awards ceremony in May 2024, the simulation jury will recognize participants who will excel in all three components of the contest: financial performance, portfolio management and responsible investing. Special learning prizes from the Autorité des marchés financiers will also be awarded, honoring high school and college students on the basis of testimonials recounting significant learning, collected after the end of the contest.

Bourstad simulations benefit from a highly innovative technological platform featuring real-time trading, daily dividend payments and mobile device compatibility. This platform was developed with the financial support of the Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization (CIRO). Thanks to further support from CIRO, mentions of excellence now endowed with $200 prize money will be awarded in all schools that register 20 or more participants in the 2024 Bourstad Challenge.

To further support the Challenge's participants and their teachers, CIRANO is offering a series of webinars, hosted by its experts and representatives of its sponsors, covering topics such as the basics of stock market investing, portfolio management, sustainable investing, ESG factors, and career choices in the financial sector. "CIRANO and its partners offer a wide range of resources on bourstad.ca that allow all participants to learn about how financial markets work and to develop their knowledge and skills in saving and investing. It's always a win-win proposition to participate in the Bourstad Challenge!" says Paul Bourget, Bourstad's project director.

"The growing integration of ESG considerations into investment decisions is now a must for all players in the financial sector. Since the 2005 edition, the Bourstad financial education program, integrated with CIRANO's economic and financial literacy initiatives, has been at the forefront of this movement, honoring participants who stand out for their commitment to responsible investment. This program, now well established and recognized, plays a significant role in enriching the economic and financial knowledge and skills of both young people and the general public. We wish the 37th edition of the Bourstad Challenge great success, and express our sincere thanks to our sponsors for their invaluable support."

Nathalie de Marcellis-Warin, President and CEO of CIRANO 

"I am pleased and proud to assume the honorary presidency of the 2024 edition of the Bourstad Challenge. For Finance Montréal, Quebec's financial services industry cluster, financial literacy is a top priority. By leading the way in this area, Bourstad has been a model for more than 35 years. We've been partners for the past 10 years, and we firmly believe in the mission and scope of this formidable, modern and highly relevant tool. We thank CIRANO for contributing to this noble mission of financial education for young people. On behalf of Finance Montréal and myself, I wish all students in Quebec and Canada the best of luck in their investment strategy, and above all, lots of fun and learning!"

Benoit Desgroseillers, MBA, CRHA, PCC Vice-President, Talent Development, Finance Montréal, and Honorary President of the 2024 BOURSTAD Challenge

Bourstad is a CIRANO financial education activity supported by numerous sponsors: the Autorité des marchés financiers, its principal partner, TD Bank Group, the Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization, CFA Montréal, Les Affaires, Finance Montréal, TMX Group, Hyprasoft, the Réseau des cégeps et des collèges francophones du Canada, Groupe Investissement responsable and QuoteMedia.

During the 2022–2023 school year, this financial education program reached more than 12,000 new participants, including nearly 2,200 entrants in the 2023 Bourstad Challenge.

SOURCE Center for Interuniversity Research and Analysis on Organizations (CIRANO)

Paul Bourget, project director, Bourstad - CIRANO ([email protected] or 514 985-4000, ext. 3006)