Nightmare on Earnings Street: Trade the Print

Key facts

Starts

Oct 20, 2026, 13:30 UTC

Ends

Oct 20, 2026, 21:00 UTC

Markets

Futures

Starting balance

$50,000

Rules summary

Simulated futures trading with live market data and a $50,000 virtual starting balance. Products: ES (E-Mini S&P 500), maximum position size 3 and 12 trades per session; NQ (E-Mini NASDAQ 100), maximum position size 2 and 8 trades per session. After reaching a trade limit, positions can still be closed but no new positions can be opened. Accounts must keep enough simulated margin to keep trading. Winners are ranked by total P&L (realized and unrealized) when the competition ends; simulated commissions and fees are deducted from P&L, but nothing is charged. Open positions are liquidated at the end. The NinjaTrader terms require joining before the competition starts. Cash prizes in US dollars, as published by NinjaTrader: 1st place $500; 2nd-3rd place $150; 4th-10th place $100. NinjaTrader does not state whether an amount shown for a group of places is paid to each place in the group, so no total prize pool or number of winners is given. Amounts are gross, before any tax withholding. Prize claims, as stated by NinjaTrader: winners are contacted by email and must claim within 30 days of notification; identity verification, eligibility checks (which may include background checks) and US tax forms are required; the terms state that prizes paid to non-US residents are subject to 30% US federal withholding and require IRS Form W-8BEN; prizes are paid in US dollars by Stripe where available, by wire transfer or to an existing funded NinjaTrader Clearing account, and the winner bears any currency-conversion costs.

Eligibility

Open to individuals aged 18 or over (19 in Alabama and Nebraska) who have reached the age of majority where they live, who are not subject to sanctions, and who neither reside in nor are located in a territory on the Restricted Territories list of the NinjaTrader Arena terms (May 2026 version); France is not on that list. NinjaTrader decides eligibility and may update the list; participants are responsible for checking that taking part is lawful where they live. A free NinjaTrader user profile is required, one per person; no brokerage account, deposit or purchase is required.

Platform

NinjaTrader Arena simulation account, traded from NinjaTrader Desktop, Web or Mobile in simulation mode.