Susquehanna International Group has grown its prediction-markets desk to 80 people from about 60 in January, and it is now using a public contest to find the next traders. The inaugural Predictions Cup is a free simulated midterm-election book running from 12:00 p.m. ET on October 1, 2026, through 12:00 p.m. ET on November 4, 2026.
Campus recruiting lead Lauren Laver said the firm wants students to show how they price uncertainty in practice. Jeremy Maletz, who leads macro trading and prediction markets, is running a desk that has already scaled quickly enough to fold in sports-trading staff and keep adding seats. The cup is a scouting tool with a live rank. A purely merit-based job opportunity system.
Every eligible student starts with 100,000 SUSQies, a contest-only unit that cannot be bought, withdrawn, or converted. After markets resolve, the top three verified balances can claim cash prizes of $30,000, $5,000, and $2,500 where law allows. Ric Best, co-head of prediction markets at Susquehanna Predictions, said the point is to feel how fresh information becomes a prediction market price without posting personal capital. He may be a bit opaque in that comment, as this educational tool is much like a winnowing process to find young trading talent.
How the student contest is scored
The company announcement calls the cup a skill contest. After opening a free account at sig.thesuper.market, a student can buy and sell YES and NO sides on midterm markets chosen by the sponsor, including resting bids and offers. A leaderboard ranks usernames by account value as polls, debates, and campaign news move the books.
Late sign-ups are allowed, but balances from this cup do not roll into later cups, and positions lock when the window ends. None of the contracts will involve “mention” markets. Each market’s info tab lists the resolution source. Susquehanna sets the menu.
The Midterm elections will be the only markets involved in this tournament. Politics only. There are suggestions this will expand to additional categories in future Prediction Cups.
Why the desk is recruiting on a leaderboard
Laver said the ranking shows trading judgment that a first-round interview often misses: who updates a position when the map changes, and who freezes. Maletz has described the same firm as a market maker whose options craft now extends into event contracts. A public book for a tournament is a cheaper way to watch that craft than a stack of case studies.
Current and former Susquehanna interns and co-ops may enter under the official rules. Employees of the sponsor, platform operator, and administrator, plus their households, may not. The firm can recruit through the cup without letting the scoreboard become an inside game.
Susquehanna, formed in 1987, now counts more than 3,500 people across trading, technology, and quantitative research. Predictions Cup is the student-facing pathway for college students seeking real-world trading opportunities.
Who can enter and what the rules actually require
The contest is open to undergraduate, graduate, and Ph.D. students, or the local academic equivalent, who have reached the age of majority and live in a listed eligible region. One account per person. A valid taxpayer identification number (Social Security number) is required. Extra logins or extra SUSQies can mean disqualification from this cup and later ones.
There is no entry fee. Prize payment still depends on verification and local law. Students who skip the info tab and trade off a headline will learn the settlement source the hard way, because the sponsor can update market language, including after an end date. As always at PolyPunter, we urge all prediction market traders: Read the Rules.
The contest will reward the student who can stay solvent in SUSQies after weeks of contradictory polls and late surprises. Registration is open now. The book opens October 1. Good luck!
References
- Bloomberg: Susquehanna’s 80-Person Prediction Team Launches Student Contest
- Morningstar / Business Wire: Susquehanna Predictions Launches Predictions Cup for University Students
- Predictions Cup official site
- Susquehanna Predictions Cup Official Rules
- Predictions Cup contest platform
- Bloomberg Television: Susquehanna’s Head of Prediction Markets on Market-Making
- Susquehanna International Group corporate site
