Ben Graham Centre's International MBA Stock Picking Competition

So, you think you've got what it takes to pick stocks like the pros? Well, the Ben Graham Centre's International MBA Stock Picking Competition is here to put your skills to the test. And trust me, it's not your average stock-picking rodeo.

The Ben Graham Centre, nestled within the prestigious Ivey Business School, has thrown down the gauntlet with its annual stock-picking challenge. But this isn't just any competition. It's an international showdown where MBA students from around the globe compete for a whopping $14,000 CAD in cash prizes. But wait, there's more! Winners also get a golden ticket to the Ben Graham Centre's Value Investing Conference and the annual general meeting of Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd in Toronto. Talk about a two-for-one deal!

• Organizer: The Ben Graham Centre for Value Investing at the Ivey Business School. And if you're wondering, yes, it's named after the legendary Benjamin Graham, the godfather of value investing.
• Prize Money: First place bags a cool $8,000 CAD, second place walks away with $4,000 CAD, and third place gets a respectable $2,000 CAD. Not too shabby for a few days of stock analysis, right?
• Eligibility: This competition is exclusively for the MBA elite. So, if you're still in your undergrad or daydreaming about stocks in high school, you might want to sit this one out.
• Focus: This isn't about guessing which stocks will make headlines next week. It's about the value investing approach to stock analysis.

Now, let's talk about the fun stuff – the prizes. Apart from the cash (which, let's be honest, is pretty sweet), the top three teams get to rub shoulders with the who's who of the investment world at the Ben Graham Centre's Value Investing Conference. And if that wasn't enough, they also get an invite to the Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd annual general meeting. It's like the Oscars, but for stock pickers.

The competition is split into two nail-biting rounds. In the first round, teams submit a detailed research report on a stock from a pre-determined list. The best of the best then advance to the second round, where they're given a new company to analyze and present to a panel of top global value investors. It's like "Shark Tank", but instead of pitching business ideas, you're pitching stocks.

The competition is orchestrated by Dr. George Athanassakos, a professor of finance and the Ben Graham Chair in Value Investing at the Ivey Business School. With a career spanning research positions in Canada and Greece, and teaching roles at York University and Wilfrid Laurier University, Dr. Athanassakos is a force to be reckoned with in the world of finance.