Who can apply
- Open globally to accredited universities
- Undergraduate + graduate students
- Cross-university teams allowed
Stevens Institute of Technology School of Business
2027 Stevens High Frequency Trading Competition
A global algorithmic trading competition where students design, code, and deploy high-frequency trading strategies in a professional-grade simulated market environment.
RequiredPython + GitHub skills. All team members must know Python and GitHub.
51 universities competed in HFTC 2025–26
- Stevens Institute of Technology
- New York University
- Columbia University
- Baruch College
- Georgia Tech
- Stony Brook University
- UC Berkeley
- Emory University
- Florida State University
- Rutgers University
- Michigan State University
- University of South Florida
- University of Washington
- University of Utah
- Universidad de las Américas Puebla
- IIT Bombay
- UT Austin
- University of Chicago
- University of Southern Mississippi
- ESILV Paris
- UC Irvine
- Purdue University
- BITS Pilani
- Cornell University
- Carnegie Mellon University
- King’s College London
- University of Southern California
- UCLA
- Villanova University
- Drexel University
- Clemson University
- University of Bucharest
- MANIT Bhopal
- NMIMS Mumbai
- University of Pennsylvania
- Caltech
- University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
- National University of Singapore
- McGill University
- University of Waterloo
- University of Amsterdam
- Frankfurt School of Finance & Management
- University of Bordeaux
- IIT Roorkee
- BIT Mesra
- Politehnica University of Bucharest
- University of South Carolina
- WorldQuant University
- Boston College
- Fordham University
- DePaul University
Stevens School of Business
About / Overview
The Stevens HFTC is a global competition for undergraduate and graduate students. Teams design and run algorithmic strategies on the SHIFT high-frequency simulation platform—with realistic microstructure and a low-latency environment.
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Innovation in quantitative finance
Go beyond templates: market making, momentum, stat arb, and microstructure-aware execution in a high-fidelity simulator.
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Real-world trading skills
Show applied engineering and finance ability through Python, disciplined workflows, and professional-grade tooling.
- Python
- GitHub
- FIX
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Talent for finance & tech
A credible, skills-forward signal for quant roles and graduate study—backed by a leading innovation university.
What you gain
Why Participate
A technical, academic, and career-forward experience designed for modern markets.
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Technical Skill Deployment
- Build and deploy trading algorithms
- Low-latency simulation experience
- Backtesting and strategy optimization
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Academic + Career Value
- Strong resume signal for quant finance roles
- Graduate program preparation
- Industry recruitment visibility
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Strategic Resilience
- Multi-week adaptive competition
- Multiple trading scenarios
- F-1 scoring system across 5 trading days
Participant voices
Why Teams Compete
In their own words: what HFTC 2026 teams told us they hoped to learn when they applied.
There are not many free HFT simulators online so this competition is the perfect bridge to not only gain experience, but also learn what it takes to develop a winning strategy.
…real insight into how trades influence market dynamics in real time, something almost impossible without working professionally in trading.
More than optimizing performance, we’re interested in learning how to reason through trade-offs, adapt quickly, and make disciplined decisions in an environment that rewards clarity over cleverness.
Competition rules
Core Rules
A clear, professional rule set designed for fast scanning and high trust.
| Trading Assets | Dow Jones 30 or synthetic tickers |
|---|---|
| Trading Scope | Intraday only |
| Initial Capital | $1,000,000 (reset daily) |
| Execution | Fees + rebates apply |
| Platform | SHIFT Python API virtual machine |
The technology behind HFTC
The SHIFT Platform
A professional-grade high-frequency trading simulator built for education and competition.
SHIFT (Stevens High-frequency Investment and Financial Trading) is a cloud-based simulation platform that replicates real-market microstructure including order books, matching engines, and latency modeling. Teams connect via the SHIFT Python API to submit orders, manage portfolios, and execute strategies in a realistic trading environment.
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Python API
Connect to the SHIFT matching engine through a clean Python interface. Submit market and limit orders, query positions, and stream real-time order-book data.
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Order Book Simulator
A full limit-order-book simulation with realistic fills, partial executions, maker/taker fees, and configurable latency to test strategy robustness.
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Scoring Engine
Performance is evaluated across five trading days using a composite F-1 scoring metric that weighs PnL, risk management, and execution quality.
Who can compete
Eligibility
Required
Python + GitHub skills. All team members must know Python and GitHub.
Team requirements
- Team size: 1–4 members
- Team leader required
- All members must know Python + GitHub
What matters
- Clean engineering practices
- Robust risk controls
- Clear documentation and reproducibility
Awards
Prize Pool
Awards for the top three teams, presented after the final trading period and scoring review.
Total prize pool
$5,000
Shared among the top three teams
011st Place
TBD
022nd Place
TBD
033rd Place
TBD
Get started
How to Apply
Apply by January 31, complete two technical assessments, and hear back by February 24. No application fee — selected teams register for $250 per team by March 1.
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Application
- Deadline
- Jan 31, 2027
- Application fee
- None
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Technical assessment 1
- Released
- Feb 1, 2027
- Due
- Feb 7, 2027
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Technical assessment 2
- Released
- Feb 10, 2027
- Due
- Feb 17, 2027
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Selection & registration
- Notification
- By Feb 24, 2027
- Register by
- Mar 1, 2027
- Team fee
- $250
Application form
The 2027 application form will open here soon.
Teams apply through the online form on this page — no email application needed. Applications are due January 31, 2027.
Questions? Email algotrading@stevens.edu.
Timeline
2027 Competition Timeline
Key dates from application through the award ceremony.
TBD Preparation and competition dates will be posted here.
- Application
- Application Deadline
- Technical Assessment 1 Released
- Technical Assessment 1 Due
- Technical Assessment 2 Released
- Technical Assessment 2 Due
- Final Notification
- Registration & $250 Team Fee Due
- Preparation
- TBDOrientation
- TBDTest Run 1
- TBDTest Run 2
- Competition
- Mar – MayCompetition Trading
- TBDAward Ceremony
HFTC Archives
Past Competitions
Past Stevens high frequency trading competitions — their teams, faculty, industry partners, winning strategies, and moments from each event.
