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The National Council on Economic Education (NCEE) announces the eighth annual NCEE/Goldman Sachs Foundation National Economics Challenge. In 2008 there will be 36 states holding competitions. Students currently enrolled in an economics course may compete in one of two divisions. First place teams from each division in each state will advance to compete in the online regional contest to be held April 29, 2008. Winning Divisional teams from each region plus one wild card in each division will receive an all-expense paid trip to compete for the national championship title in New York City on May 17-19, 2008. The NCEE/Goldman Sachs Foundation National Economics Challenge is the only national competition to foster interest among high school students in economics by recognizing their achievements and offering a fun and competitive way to showcase their knowledge.

The NCEE/Goldman Sachs Foundation National Economics Challenge applies the excitement of an athletic competition to academic excellence. In each competition teams of students answer rigorous questions on microeconomics, macroeconomics, and international economics. The most exciting round of the state and national competition is the final round conducted in an oral quiz-bowl format. Only the top two teams from the first three rounds compete in the final round. Try out some sample test questions.

State Competitions

Competitions will take place in 36 states from February to April. Each state competition will have two divisions. The Adam Smith division is for students enrolled in Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), honors, college level, or two-semester economics classes. Check the rules for more details. The David Ricardo division is for students enrolled in one-semester high school economics courses or less. The two-division format is designed to involve more students in the National Economics Challenge. Find out when and where your state competition will be held and whom to contact to register.

Regional Competitions

Each state will qualify two teams (one from each division) for the online regional competition. The online regional will be held in a real-time contest at 3pm EST on April 29, 2008 at http://www.regionalchallenge.org. Teams will compete on site at a computer lab in their school (or in some other site pre-approved in advance by NCEE). The school principal will assign an independent proctor to oversee the online contest.

For details on the online Regional Economics Challenge, please see the handbook.

• The East Region will consist of teams from Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Virginia.

• The Central Region will consist of teams from Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, North Dakota, Tennessee, and Wisconsin.

• The West Region will consist of teams from Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Utah, and Washington.

National Finals

The first-place teams from each division in the online regional competition, plus one wild card (the highest scoring second place finisher in each division in the online regional) will compete for the national championship in New York City on May 17-19, 2008. There will be two national champions--the Adam Smith national champion and the David Ricardo national champion. The best of the best will wear the national crowns and serve as models to raise the bar for excellence in economics.

Awards

Most state competitions provide awards for members of the winning teams and their teachers.

Members of the teams that win their online regional competitions and their teacher each receive $1,000 U.S. Savings Bonds. Members of the second-place teams and their teacher receive $500 U.S. Savings Bonds.

Members of the national championship teams and their teacher receive $3,000 U.S. Savings Bonds and medals. Members of the second-place teams and their teacher receive $1,500 U.S. Savings Bonds and medals. The schools of the first-place and second-place teams also receive trophies.

Copyright © 2008 National Council on Economic Education. All rights reserved.