FT Stock Picking Game

 FT Stock Picking Game Competition Terms and Conditions

• The Competition and any related content are provided for entertainment purposes only. 

• Any portfolios, rankings, values, stock selections and market data made available as part of the Competition are entirely virtual and do not involve real money or real investments.

• Nothing in the Competition constitutes technical, financial, legal or other professional advice and it should not be relied upon by participants in making (or refraining from making) any investment or other financial decision. Appropriate independent advice should be obtained before making any such decision, including from a qualified financial adviser where appropriate. 

• Any market data or share price information displayed in connection with the Competition, whether or not described as “real time”, may have stopped being current by the time it is viewed and may be delayed, rounded, incomplete or inaccurate.

Eligibility 

1. These terms and conditions include all instructions on how to take part in the FT Stock Picking Game (“Competition”). By entering into the Competition, participants agree to these terms and conditions and acknowledge that failure to comply with them may result in disqualification. No purchase is necessary to enter.

2. The Competition is open to subscribers to ft.com that are aged 18 and over only.  Directors, employees and immediate family members of employees of The Financial Times Limited (“FT”) its associated companies and agencies may enter the Competition, but are not eligible to be selected as a Winner. Their results will be reported separately from all other participants’ results. 

3. The Competition shall be void where prohibited by local laws or regulations, including where in FT’s reasonable opinion we cannot accept an entry or provide a prize due to sanctions laws or banking restrictions. It is the responsibility of participants to ensure that they are able to participate in the Competition in compliance with local laws and regulations. To the fullest extent permitted by law, FT is not liable where a participant has breached local laws and/or regulations in connection with the Competition.

Entries

4. The Competition commences at 08:00 am BST on 9th June 2026, and  ends at 11:59pm BST on 7th August 2026. Entry will require internet access. New participants must register and create their portfolio no later than 08:00 am BST on 24 July 2026. Participants who have registered before this deadline may continue to manage and amend their portfolio in accordance with these terms until the end of the Competition. Only one (1) entry per person is permitted. FT is not responsible for late or incomplete entries, or for entries not received. There is no fee payable to enter.

5. A mathematical algorithm based on public market data will be used to select a Winner, being the participant with the highest percentage return on their portfolio, calculated to two decimal places, at the end of the Competition — based on the following rules:
   
   a. At the start of the Competition each participant can create one virtual portfolio, credited with virtual 100,000 credit (this is not real money and cannot be withdrawn) to invest in a selection of at least five listed companies (including investment trusts) and a maximum of 20. A minimum of 5% and a maximum of 25% can be invested in any one stock. You can hold a maximum of 25% of your portfolio in cash, however it will not earn any interest.
   
   b. Participants can make unlimited amends to their portfolio selection until the end of the Competition period without charge. Each participant is allowed to create one portfolio. A portfolio consists of its current value in virtual credits, current Order, and the next Order. 
   
   c. The percentage allocation of shares you set in your portfolio is maintained as a constant. This means that as a share in your portfolio increases or decreases in value, only the total value of your portfolio changes, not the percentage you have set. This allows you to spend less time rebalancing your portfolio , and more time on finding interesting shares while creating a fairer game for everyone competing in the Game.
   
   Portfolio Order
   d. An order is a selection of shares with relative allocated value in % (the “Order”). Each Order consists of up to 20 shares. Each share in an Order must have an allocated percentage between 5% and 25%. The total allocated percentage of an Order must be less than or equal to 100%. Any portion of the portfolio not allocated to shares in the Order will be held as virtual cash credits. 
   
   Portfolio Value
   e. Portfolio value changes proportionally with the price change of each share in the current order times its allocated percentage. Market data is supplied by Norkon AS. Portfolio values reflect live market prices during trading hours. Any changes you make to your portfolio, including adding or removing shares or adjusting allocations, will take effect at the opening price on the following trading day, not at the price at the time you make the change. This means your portfolio  value may move differently from a share’s price on the day you made the adjustment. 
   
   For example, portfolio ABC holds 25% of XYZ. When share XYZ rises in price by 40%, the portfolio will gain 10%.
   
   f. End-of-day values and final Competition results are calculated using official closing prices provided by the relevant stock exchange or market data provider. These calculations are usually completed overnight between approximately 01:00 and 03:00 (UK time) on the following calendar day. For example, if the Competition ends on 7 August 2026, the final calculations will usually be completed in the early hours of 8 August 2026 using the official closing prices from 7 August 2026. End-of-day values may differ from values shown during the trading day due to factors including delayed or corrected market data, deleted trades, differences in data timing or aggregation, or temporary data loss. 
   
   Portfolio Creation
   g. When creating a portfolio, the Participant must choose from 5 to 20 shares from the offered list of stocks to create their portfolio’s initial Order.
   
   Update portfolio 
   h. Participants can adjust their current Order by submitting a next Order which will become the portfolio’s current Order on the next trading day.
   
   Special Events
   i. In case of a company declaring bankruptcy, all of the portfolios holding its shares in their current Order lose the value equal to the amount allocated to the share; the share will be listed at zero value within the portfolio. In case of a share removal from the list of available shares, all of the portfolios holding the share in their current Order retain their full value but the share is removed from their current Order and its last trading value is converted to a value in cash credits held in the portfolio. 
   
   j. The game adjusts for any potential splits and reverse splits. Dividends are automatically reinvested in the shares held.
   
   General
   k. Any portfolio, stocks, shares, credits  and any associated currency provided pursuant to the Competition are: (i) of no monetary value; (ii) cannot be withdrawn; (iii) provided solely for use in participation in the Competition; (iv) and shall not form any part of the Prize. 

Prize

6. The Winner shall receive £1,000 (one thousand pounds) or the equivalent amount in the Winner’s local currency, calculated using the European Central Bank exchange rate applicable on the date of Winner selection (the “Prize”).

7. The result of the Competition is final and no correspondence will be entered into. The Prize is non-transferable and non-refundable.
   

Notification of Winner

8. The Winner will be notified by e-mail on or after the first working day after 10th August 2026, and, in any event, no later than 17 August 2026, FT will provide details of how to arrange the Prize. If the Prize is declined or unclaimed by a Winner, or if they cannot be contacted from the details supplied within seven (7) business days of notification, a replacement winner may be chosen at the FT’s discretion and will be notified by the FT. The original entry that was chosen will then be forfeited.  

9. The surname and county (or, for Winner outside the UK, the region/state and country as applicable) of the Winner will be available from 31st August 2026 by e-mailing stockpickinggame@ft.com, unless a Winner has notified FT before publication of the Winner information that they object to such information being made available. FT may nonetheless be required to provide this information to the Advertising Standards Authority if requested.

10. The Winner may be required to complete and return an eligibility form stating their age and residency details. 

General

11. FT reserves the right to cancel, suspend or amend the Competition, or any part of it (including these terms and conditions) or change the Prize (to one of equivalent or greater value) as required by the circumstances in FT’s sole discretion. FT reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to disqualify any individual who has not complied with the letter or the spirit of these terms and conditions. Any failure by FT to enforce any provision in these terms and conditions shall not constitute a waiver of that provision.

12. FT cannot accept responsibility for or liability arising from participants taking part in the Competition or for taking up the Prize. FT gives no warranty or guarantee in relation to the Prize and accepts no responsibility or liability for the Prize being amended by FT. To the fullest extent permitted by law, FT excludes liability for all loss, damage or claim arising as a result of the Participant’s entry into the Competition or use of the Prize (save in the case of death or personal injury caused by the negligence of FT).

13. Any personal data which may be submitted in an entry will be processed by FT in accordance with any applicable data protection legislation and the FT Privacy Policy, available at: https://help.ft.com/legal-privacy/privacy-policy/

14. By entering the Competition, participants agree to hold FT harmless for liability, damages or claims for injury or loss to any person or property, relating to, directly or indirectly, participation in this Competition, or claims based on publicity rights, third party intellectual property rights, defamation or invasion of privacy.

15. These terms and conditions shall be governed by and construed in accordance with English law. Disputes arising in connection with this Competition shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the English courts.

16. The promoter is The Financial Times Limited, Bracken House, 1 Friday Street, London EC4M 9BT.