Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System

College Fed Challenge 2026 Overview

The Federal Reserve, along with other co-sponsoring Federal Reserve Banks and regional planning universities, have made the decision to host the National College Fed Challenge in a hybrid format, which will consist of

• a virtual video submission of a 15-minute presentation;^*
• a virtual Q&A, which will be judged using section IV of the National rubric;
• an in-person final presentation and Q&A for the top seven teams using section IV of the National rubric;^** and
• an event announcing the winner on November 20, 2026, which will be available for viewing on demand.

The hybrid format will continue to allow schools outside the current Fed Challenge districts to compete in “at-large” regions.

* The Boston region is not participating in the video submission portion, and any school in the Boston region should use this Boston Fed Challenge page to enter the competition.

** Please indicate on the registration form if your team cannot attend the in-person finals in Washington, D.C.

By entering the competition, teams certify that all presentations are the original work of the team. A presentation that is written in whole or in part by artificial intelligence (AI) is not considered original student author work. Any presentations or responses with AI-generated content may be disqualified. Any determination of plagiarism may be grounds for disqualification.

Key Dates

Event	Date
College Fed Challenge Virtual Orientation	Monday, September 21, 2026 1:00 p.m. EDT
Registration deadline	Wednesday, September 30, 2026 5:00 p.m. EDT
Video submission deadline	Monday, October 5, 2026 5:00 p.m. EDT
Virtual Q&As	November 2–4, 2026
In-person finals and awards ceremony in Washington, D.C.	Friday, November 20, 2026

Competition Steps

Please note: The Boston region is not participating in the video submission portion. Any school in the Boston region should use this Boston Fed Challenge page to enter the competition.

1. Form a team
   1. Teams can consist of up to five (additional alternates acceptable) undergraduate students.
      1. Students enrolled in dual-degree programs (e.g., 4+1 programs) are eligible to participate prior to conferral of a bachelor’s degree or equivalent by the participating college/university.
   2. Faculty advisers (if applicable) must have been separated from Federal Reserve System employment for at least two years before advising a team.
   3. All team members must be students registered at a U.S. college or university during the fall of 2026.
   4. All students on a team must attend the same college or university.
   5. Multiple teams cannot register from the same college or university.
   6. Visit the College Fed Challenge Rules and Tips page for more information.
       
2. Register your team
   Teams must register with the following information: school/university name, adviser(s) name(s) and email address(es), students’ names and email addresses, alternates’ names and email addresses, primary contact for the team, and Fed Challenge region.^*
   1. Faculty advisers are required to ensure one submission only is received from each school.
   2. Once registered, teams will receive a confirmation email from Fed Challenge with their team’s unique ID number. Teams must register by Wednesday, September 30, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. EDT.
      Register Your Team
       
3. Develop your video presentation
   1. Teams must prepare a presentation based on content rubric (see national rubric, section III).
   2. The video should be a simple presentation recording—remember that presentations are scored on content, not video production quality. (See national rubric, section III.)
   3. Presentations should be no longer than 15 minutes.
   4. Paper submissions are not accepted.
   5. Do not identify your school or names in your presentation. For the purposes of fair judging, presentations must exclude any identification of team members, advisers, or school affiliations. This includes school colors, emblems, and logos.
   6. Video submissions should include the following elements:
      1. An analysis of current economic conditions (as of the day of the competition). These conditions may include broad macroeconomic conditions as well as conditions experienced in different geographic areas, urban or rural areas, or different demographic and socioeconomic groups, borrowers and savers, etc.
      2. A forecast of near-term economic and financial conditions relevant to the formulation of monetary policy.
      3. A discussion of significant risks to the economy that should receive special attention in formulating monetary policy. These risks may include the possible effects (positive or negative) of monetary policies on different segments of the population.
      4. A monetary policy recommendation, encompassing both traditional tools and newer approaches as warranted. Presenters should give supporting reasons for their recommendation.
          
4. Submit your video presentation
   1. Each registered team will receive a unique team ID number once registered.
   2. Registered teams should upload their videos to YouTube as unlisted and submit their unlisted video link using the submission form by Monday, October 5, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. EDT. In YouTube, please title your submission video with the following language: "College Fed Challenge 2026 Team #" [ID number given during registration step 2 above].
      Submit Your Video Presentation


5. Participate in virtual Q&As (first round of Q&A will determine regional finalists)
   1. If selected, your team will receive an email from [email protected] to schedule a Q&A. Your team will be contacted between October 27 and October 30, 2026, if you have been selected for regional Q&As.
   2. Virtual Q&As for the regional teams will take place between November 2 and November 4, 2026.
   3. Your team will receive time slot options for a Q&A with judges.
   4. At the designated time, your team will join the online platform sent via invite.
   5. The Q&A portion will follow the rubric, section IV. 
   6. Presentations used within video submissions may be shown on screen during the Q&A session; however, no new slides or data should be introduced within the presentation.
   7. Judges' questions will follow for a maximum of 15 minutes. Two of the questions will be the same for each team; the Board will supply one of these two questions and judges may confer or choose mutually the second question that will be the same for each team. The question period is an opportunity to determine the extent to which students are knowledgeable about the Federal Reserve, monetary policy, and the information in their presentation. Questions could be of four types:
      1. Follow-up questions related to data, analyses, or recommendations made during the presentation (e.g., What evidence do you have to support your statement that deflation is more of a risk to the U.S. economy than inflation? How might your recommendation affect the economic circumstances of different areas or groups?)
      2. Hypothetical questions (e.g., Suppose the number of new jobs created over the next three months totaled 100,000, would that change your prescription for monetary policy?)
      3. Questions about macroeconomic theory (e.g., How much weight should policymakers give the Phillips curve?)
      4. Questions about the Federal Reserve (e.g., Once the FOMC reaches its decision, how are policy decisions implemented?)
          
6. Participate in the in-person final presentation and Q&A session
   1. If selected, your team will receive an email from [email protected]. Your team will be contacted by November 6, 2026, if you have been selected for national Q&As.
   2. Your team will be assigned a time slot for your presentation.
   3. Team presents their 15-minute presentation and should have printed copies of the presentation available for judges. Teams are allowed to update data in their original presentation for the final round.
   4. Judges will ask each team at least two similar questions. These questions will be the same for each team. Judges may modify their questions to cover topics mentioned in a team’s presentation.
   5. The question period is an opportunity to determine the extent to which students are knowledgeable about the Federal Reserve, monetary policy, and the information in their presentation. Questions may fall under any of these four categories:
      1. Follow-up questions related to data, analyses, or recommendations made during the presentation (e.g., What evidence do you have to support your statement that deflation is more of a risk to the U.S. economy than inflation? How might your recommendation affect the economic circumstances of different areas/groups?)
      2. Hypothetical questions (e.g., Suppose the number of new jobs created over the next three months totaled 100,000, would that change your prescription for monetary policy?)
      3. Questions about macroeconomic theory (e.g., How much weight should policymakers give the Phillips curve?)
      4. Questions about the Federal Reserve (e.g., Once the FOMC reaches its decision, how are policy decisions implemented?)
          
7. Fed Challenge organizers announce winners
   The winning team will be announced on November 20, 2026.
   1. The winning team's live presentation and Q&A will be posted to the Board's website.

Have questions about the National College Fed Challenge competition?

Sign up for our College Fed Challenge orientation on September 21, 2026. Students and professors will get a chance to ask questions about the rules, competition format, and registration process.