STUDENTS at Huddersfield University have been urged to play the stock market - with the chance to win thousands of pounds.

The has been launched by the IFS School of Finance, which provides financial education to financial services professionals.

Its IFS Uni Investor Challenge follows the success of a similar competition run for students aged 14 to 19.

In the new challenge, university students get a notional £100,000 to invest in the stock market over a three-month period.

The top performing portfolio holders will then have to write an essay, explaining why they made the investment decisions they did.

The winner will get a cash prize of £9,000.

There will also be a postgraduate league with a top prize of £3,000 and monthly prizes throughout the challenge, starting on February 1.

Anne Kiem, a director at IFS School of Finance in London, said: "The Uni Challenge is useful in educating about finance, giving students a practical insight into stock markets, savings and investments."

Visit www.uni-investor.org for details.