Two Bishops Diocesan College learners have won a national investment challenge. They recorded the highest portfolio growth among more than 1 000 teams.

Brent Cowden and Matthew Hume competed under the name Hume-Cowden Capital. They won the 2026 Coronation Top Investor Challenge: Schools Edition.

Cape Town asset management company Coronation ran the competition. Teams from more than 500 schools took part. Learners acted as fund managers who invest money on behalf of clients through a virtual simulation.

Each winner received R30 000 in investment vouchers. Bishops also received a R60 000 cash prize.

Cowden does not plan to spend his winnings soon.

“I’m aiming to keep the money invested until I’m older and I really need it, rather than spend it while I’m still in high school,” he said.

Growing fast

The challenge is in its second year and has grown rapidly. School participation rose by 654% from the previous year. Team registrations climbed by 265% and learner registrations by 252%.

Each team received R1 million in virtual capital. They used this only in the simulation. Teams then built and managed investment portfolios while responding to fictional market scenarios.

The simulation ran on phones, tablets and computers. Learners needed no previous investment experience.

Cape Town schools shine

Bishops claimed first place. Cape Town schools also featured prominently among the top performers.

Abbotts High School Rondebosch finished third and Parel Vallei took fourth. Deutsche Schule Johannesburg came second and Grey College Bloemfontein fifth.

St Francis College in the Eastern Cape also finished in the top 10. So did Welkom High School, Kimberley Technical High School and Afrikaanse Hoërskool Germiston.

Opening doors

Kirshni Totaram, global head of institutional business at Coronation, says the challenge introduces learners to investment thinking. It also opens doors to careers in financial services.

“A young person can’t consider a career they don’t know exists,” she said.

She says the programme exposes learners from different backgrounds to an industry they might not otherwise encounter at school.

Julian Vincent, head of economics at Bishops, says practical experiences help learners connect classroom learning with real-world situations.

“When learners can see the practical applications of subjects like economics in the real world, it improves their engagement,” he said.

Long-term thinking

The challenge forms part of Coronation’s youth development initiatives. These include bursaries, early-career development, workplace experience and industry partnerships.

Coronation says it has invested more than R100 million in youth development in South Africa. This dates back to the launch of its Exceptional Student Bursary Programme in 1993.

For the Bishops winners, the immediate lesson seems less about the prize. It is more about understanding how money can work over time.

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