Sharemarket Game news
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| Prize | Participant name | State | Final portfolio |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st place | aeplica | NSW | A$86,373.58 |
| 2nd place | Nancy | SA | A$83,184.65 |
| 3rd place | Gwoody21 | QLD | A$82,951.00 |
| Top university portfolio | Sayan | VIC | A$69,852.12 |
| Top league 10 or less members | Dunlops | NSW | A$63,615.25 |
| Top league 11 or more members | Recoup Some Losses | QLD | A$54,104.61 |
The 2026 Public Game 1 has wrapped up, with this year’s top performers showing that there is no single way to approach the ASX Sharemarket Game. Some players leaned into volatility and momentum. Others did the hard work upfront, then let their portfolios run. The university winner built a tightly focused thesis around the infrastructure behind artificial intelligence, while the winning leagues showed how collaboration, shared ideas and friendly competition can shape results.
Notably, this Game saw strong performances from female participants across categories, including the overall winner, second place and a top 20 finisher in the minor league.
Taking first place, aeplica, a University of Sydney student who started playing the Schools Game when she was in year 9, approached the Game with a strategy designed for a short competition timeframe. In doing so, she also became the first woman to take out first place in the Public Game, marking a significant milestone for the competition.
Her chosen pseudonym - a variation of 'replica' - reflects a preference to stay understated while building confidence over time.
Rather than focusing on traditionally stable companies, aeplica looked for higher-volatility stocks with the potential to rebound or continue a strong move. She used the 'stocks on the move' list in the player dashboard as a starting point, then narrowed the field by looking for market attention, sector strength, unusual volume, positive sentiment or a clear reason behind a price movement.
Her final holdings show the impact of that strategy. Megaport (ASX:MP1) was the standout contributor, generating more than A$27,000 in profit, alongside positions in Bellevue Gold (ASX:BGL), Pantoro Gold (ASX:PNR) and Wisetech Global (ASX:WTC). The portfolio reflected an active approach, with capital rotated between opportunities as momentum shifted across the market.
What stands out is the combination of speed and focus. Her strategy centred on compounding gains by moving capital into the next opportunity, while remaining flexible as the market evolved. She also monitored the leaderboard closely, using it as an additional signal to anticipate which stocks other participants might be holding.
As aeplica puts it: “Less is more. It is better to understand a small group of companies well than to spread your attention across too many stocks.”
"The experience made investing feel a lot more approachable and has genuinely inspired me to start applying what I have learnt beyond the game."
Kieu-An, AKA aeplica, from NSW
Second place went to Nancy from SA, who was playing the Game for the first time and delivered an impressive result.
Nancy’s approach was grounded in research early on, followed by a more patient, hands-off strategy later as her investments performed. Her portfolio combined individual companies with exchange traded funds, reflecting a preference for balance rather than relying on a single idea.
Her final holdings included Life360 (ASX:360), Catapult Sports (ASX:CAT), Global X Ultra Long NASDAQ 100 complex ETF (ASX:LNAS) and Megaport (ASX:MP1), with MP1 again playing a major role, contributing more than A$23,000 in profit. LNAS was another strong performer, highlighting the effectiveness of her diversified approach.
Nancy’s stock selection was guided by personal interest and familiarity, including companies she understood through her work and experience. This made it easier for her to follow developments and stay engaged throughout the Game.
Her key takeaway was clear: “Research companies and investments you are genuinely interested in, as it makes it easier to keep track of announcements and advancements.”
Her result highlights how discipline and patience - even for first-time players - can deliver strong outcomes.
"As someone new to share trading, this was a great experience to learn more about shares, listed companies and trading. It was less stressful than using real money, as I am fairly risk adverse at this stage of my life."
Nancy from SA
In third place, Sam, AKA Gwoody21 from QLD, demonstrated the value of preparation. Before making any trades, he spent several weeks researching companies, screening sectors and building detailed notes before committing capital.
His final portfolio included Aristocrat Leisure (ASX:ALL), Betashares Asia Technology Tigers ETF (ASX:ASIA), Megaport (ASX:MP1), Macquarie Group (ASX:MQG), Nuix (ASX:NXL) and Weebit Nano (ASX:WBT), with strong contributions from MP1, ASIA and WBT. The inclusion of dividend-paying stocks such as ALL and MQG also added a small income component.
Rather than actively trading throughout the Game, Gwoody21 largely held positions and observed performance, focusing on learning what worked and what didn’t.
His lesson: “Doing the research and making an informed decision early works better for me than micromanaging my portfolio.”
"The research part is what I find most fun, so once I had a list of stocks I was reasonably confident in, I then bought them and watched to see how they performed so I could learn lessons in terms of what worked and what didn’t."
Sam, AKA Gwoody21, from QLD
Sayan, a Monash University student from VIC, built a clear investment thesis around the infrastructure supporting artificial intelligence (AI), focusing on companies that would benefit regardless of which specific AI applications succeeded. He described this as “selling shovels during the gold rush.”
The portfolio included NEXTDC (ASX:NXT), Megaport (ASX:MP1), Infratil (ASX:IFT), Goodman Group (ASX:GMG) and Digico Infrastructure REIT (ASX:DGT), all selected against defined criteria including revenue growth, recurring revenue and identifiable catalysts. Positions were entered early and exited near the end of the Game period, locking in gains.
Sayan’s approach showed the strength - and risk - of a concentrated theme. As he noted, such strategies can perform strongly over short periods but may not hold up over longer timeframes once market sentiment shifts.
His takeaway: “Do proper due-diligence and actually sit down and take the time to think of a proper strategy.”
"I did this as a part of my uni assignment, where we had to create a thesis, and buy stocks, and analyse them for about a month, then make a presentation about it. The fact it was an uni assignment had me stressed... seeing myself on the leaderboard was a surprise, that definitely made me feel like that it was all worth it."
Sayan from Monash University in VIC
The winning minor league, Dunlops from NSW, added a personal dimension to the competition - playing as a mother (Country Girl) and son (SammyD) team.
Their league combined collaboration with friendly rivalry. They regularly discussed ideas and compared strategies, but still competed individually, which added motivation and made the experience more engaging.
Their approaches were different but complementary. SammyD focused on companies that were either recovering or trending upward, while Country Girl leaned into momentum-driven opportunities alongside thematic growth opportunities.
Across the competition, their portfolios featured a mix of resources, technology and market-linked investments. Country Girl's strongest contributions came from positions in ZIP CO (ASX:ZIP), which generated more than A$7,500 in profit, and Global X Battery Tech & Lithium ETF (ASX:ACDC), which added almost A$2,000, supported by holdings in Boss Energy (ASX:BOE), Droneshield (ASX:DRO) and Neuren Pharmaceuticals (ASX:NEU). SammyD's portfolio combined established names such as ASX (ASX:ASX), Rio Tinto (ASX:RIO) and Santos (ASX:STO) with positions in IGO (ASX:IGO) and Megaport (ASX:MP1), balancing stability with growth-oriented opportunities. Together, their different approaches helped deliver the league's winning result.
Country Girl’s performance was particularly notable, finishing 15th overall, highlighting how their shared approach translated into strong individual results.
Together, they found that discussing trades and learning from each other helped them navigate market ups and downs more effectively. At the same time, diversification across their portfolios helped manage volatility when individual stocks moved against them.
Their take captures the spirit of the Game: “Just have fun with the game… you are going to learn more about the stock market if you actually enjoy the highs and lows.”
"The game was a fun way to have friendly competition, learn about how to read and predict stocks, and how to structure a portfolio... we found that we really enjoyed thinking through what trades were going to be the most beneficial, whilst trying to balance both risk, and potential reward."
Dunlops from NSW
The winning major league - competing under the name ‘Recoup Some Losses’ - brought together 14 active participants from QLD, demonstrating how a broader group dynamic can support a mix of trading styles.
While the league benefited from shared ideas and ongoing comparison between members, the analysis below focuses on the top two performers, whose portfolios highlight how different approaches - from concentrated positions to active trading - contributed to the team’s overall success.
Looking more closely at the top contributors, both Kute Kapers and Sanook Jing leaned into a small number of positions and actively adjusted their holdings as opportunities emerged.
Kute Kapers’ portfolio shows a mix of conviction trades and capital rotation. A significant contribution came from Dicker Data (ASX:DDR), delivering strong gains, alongside steady performance from Bellevue Gold (ASX:BGL). The trading history also highlights active repositioning - including entering and exiting Weebit Nano (ASX:WBT) and rotating through Karoon Energy (ASX:KAR) - suggesting a willingness to lock in gains and redeploy capital as conditions changed.
Sanook Jing, by contrast, delivered one of the standout individual trades of the league through a highly successful position in Weebit Nano, which generated a substantial portion of overall returns. This was complemented by a smaller position in Bellevue Gold, reflecting a more concentrated approach where a single strong performer drove much of the outcome.
Across the team, there was a clear mix of styles - from concentrated positions to more active trading - with the ability to share ideas and compare approaches proving a key advantage of the league format.
Their key lesson remained consistent with this approach: “Don't panic and sell early, instead put low price stop loss on.”
"The benefits of a league were we could 'trade' ideas with each other."
Recoup Some Losses from QLD
The Sharemarket Game is taking a break
The Sharemarket Game will be taking a break while we redesign and redevelop it. This will give us the opportunity to modernise the experience, enhance the functionality and ensure that the program continues to deliver an engaging and valuable learning experience.
For further information about this change please check the frequently asked questions.
We look forward to reintroducing a refreshed Sharemarket Game in the future.
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