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FinanceChallenge

Welcome to Illinois Personal Finance Challenge!
 

Registration for Spring 2026 is Open

The Illinois State Treasurer’s Office is proud to present the Illinois Personal Finance Challenge (IPFC). This team competition provides high school students with the opportunity to learn and demonstrate their money management skills. 

Registration is FREE and you have access to a teacher toolkit with lessons, activities, videos, and more.
 

earning income, spending, saving, managing credit, investing, managing risk


Illinois State Finals 

We are excited to host an in-person event for the Illinois State Finals and award Bright Start 529 college savings scholarships to the first place and second place teams. Each winning team member will receive: 

  • 1st Place: $1,500 scholarship

  • 2nd Place: $1,000 scholarship

The in-person event will be hosted at our historic Marine Bank building in Springfield on Tuesday, April 14, 2026. The Illinois State Finals competition will consist of a real-world case study round and a quiz bowl round. 

Watch our video from 2026 State Finals.


How It Works 

  1.   Teacher Registration - High school teachers must register at least one team of 3-4 students. There is no limit to how many teams a teacher can have and no limit to how many teachers can participate from the same school. Online teacher registration for the spring testing window is open January 12 - March 16, 2026. Returning teachers can use existing login credentials. 
     
  2.   Online Exam - High school students compete in the first round of competition online, with an open testing window from March 2 – March 20, 2026.
     
  3.   Illinois State Finals - Top teams from fall and spring will compete at the Illinois State Finals. The in-person event will be hosted in Springfield, IL on Tuesday, April 14, 2026. 
     
  4. National Finals – The winning team from Illinois State Finals advances to National Finals at the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, GA on May 31 and June 1, 2026. 
     

National Finals offers cash prizes to nationally ranking teams. Each winning team member will receive:

  • 1st Place: $2,000
  • 2nd Place: $1,000
  • 3rd Place: $500 
  • 4th Place: $250

Congratulations to 2026 finalists and state winners!

  • 1st Place: Naperville Central High School led by Michael Borge

  • 2nd Place: Neuqua Valley High School led by Chris Cebrzynski

  • State Finalists: 

    • Adlai E. Stevenson High School

    • Collinsville High School

    • Illinois Math and Science Academy

    • Moline Senior High School

    • Monticello High School

    • University High School - Illinois State Lab Schools

    • West Chicago Community High School

    • William Fremd High School
       

Naperville Central High School 

Naperville Central High School 2026 State Winners


Neuqua Valley High School 

Neuqua Valley High School 2026 Second Place Winners