A competition to find the most promising financial trader among students has been launched by Imperial College Business School today.

The Alpha Trading Challenge, being launched at Imperial College Business School, is a six-week trading competition that is being run in partnership with Alpha Capital Markets.

Students of Imperial College Business School, Cass Business School, London Business School, London School of Economics and University College London will be stepping up to the challenge and trying their hand at trading.

To help put themselves in the shoes of a trader, contestants will receive a trading account credited with US$100,000 in demo funds and will have access to trade in a large choice of markets. They will be judged on their risk-adjusted performance.

The top three winners will be awarded a month paid internship in the trading and sales department at Alpha Capital Markets and the top trader will receive a trophy.

The competition is the brainchild of two current students from Imperial College Business School: Jean-Francois Leon Pernet, currently studying MSc Investment & Wealth Management; and Elie Afram, who is also studying MSc Investment & Wealth Management as well as working part-time as a Client Relationship Manager at Alpha Capital Markets.

Elie Alfram said: “Taking on this unique challenge will empower students to experience trading first hand and inspire them to explore the complexities of commerce and finance in a global context. Alpha Capital Markets is an international online trading company focused on FX trading and CFDs. The winning students will gain valuable experience during their internship”.

Jean Francois Leon Pernet added: “We held a launch event for the competition on January 19th and there was so much interest, we had to turn people away. There’s clearly a huge appetite for the competition and I’m looking forward to see how the well the students use their demo funds.”

More information about the event can be found here.