Forex demo contests and trading contests: a list, and how to read the terms
Demo and trading contests running now in one table: who can enter, the prize form and whether it can be withdrawn, with quotes from the terms.
Published ・ MyBrokerBonus Editorial
A forex trading contest is an event in which traders compete on results and the top places receive a prize. Some are held on a demo account, some on a live account, and some give prizes by a draw among people who met the terms. The headline puts the size of the prize first, but that alone does not let you compare contests. Who can enter, which account competes, what form the prize takes and whether it can be withdrawn all differ from one contest to the next.
The contest is run by each broker, not by this site. This article is not about which contest is better. It is about where to look when you compare. The size of the prize and the period appear only in the table and are not written in the text, because brokers can change them. Brokers are listed by name only. It is not a ranking.
Three kinds of trading contest
Contests divide broadly by the account they are held on.
- Demo account contestYou compete with virtual money, not real funds.
- Live account contestYou compete with a real account, often of a set type.
- Prize drawPrizes go to people drawn from those who met the terms.
The "Kind" column of the table shows this. It is blank when it could not be confirmed.
The “Kind” column of the table below shows which one a contest is. If a contest could not be confirmed on the official page, that column is blank.
The contests running now, in a table
Contests running now
| Broker | Bonus | Kind | Amount | Conditions | Official site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HFM | Traders Awards | Live account | $1,000 | $1,000 cash prize each month for the greatest gain Live Premium account | Go to official site |
| HFM | Virtual to Real Demo Contest | Demo account | Up to $2,000 | Monthly demo-account contest Prizes are credited to a live account | Go to official site |
Checked Oct 21, 2026 (Wed). Items the broker does not state are left out. Brokers are in alphabetical order, not ranked.
An item missing from the table is one that could not be confirmed on the official pages. A blank does not mean there is no condition. A contest with a blank “Ends” column is one whose page gives no end date, for example because it is held again every month or every week. Even for what is shown, read the official page again before you enter.
The English table and the Japanese table list different contests
The English table has fewer rows than the Japanese one. There are two main reasons.
- Contests listed as being for Japan do not appear in the English list. HFM’s ONSEN RETREAT CHALLENGE and the XMTrading Demo Challenge are examples. XMTrading as a whole is listed as a broker for Japan.
- A contest that has ended drops out of both tables on its own once its end date has passed.
Every contest in the English table is in the Japanese table too. Still, being in the English table does not mean your country is eligible. Some contests set the regions they are open to, as the Traders Trust contest does. Visitors from the UK, the EU and Australia do not see this table at all, because the site hides bonus tables from those regions.
- Open to Japan and abroadShown in both the Japanese and English tables.
- For Japan onlyShown in the Japanese table only.
- Ended contestsDropped from the table once the end date passes.
- Referral rewards and standing programmesKept out of this table.
Visitors from the UK, the EU and Australia do not see the table at all.
Four questions to put to the terms
Reading a contest’s terms as four separate questions lets you compare brokers even when they word things differently.
| Question | Answers found |
|---|---|
| 1. Who can enter? | Qualifying clients / set regions |
| 2. Which account? | Contest demo / VIP demo / live |
| 3. Form of prize? | Bonus / trading credit / cash |
| 4. Withdraw the prize? | Withdrawable / profit only / not stated |
These are patterns seen in the terms this site has read. Contests word them differently, so read the official terms.
The table above shows the kind, the prize and the main conditions. For the detail behind questions 1 to 4, read the sentences in the terms.
Which account competes
The account that competes is set contest by contest. In a contest on a live account, the type of account can be set too.
Have a Live Premium Account
HFM, official page
What it means. The HFM Traders Awards is held on a live account, and holding a Premium account is one of the conditions. An account of another type may not qualify for this contest.
Even in a contest held on a demo account, the demo account you already use may not be the one that counts.
Only Clients with a Demo Contest account are eligible to participate in this contest.
HFM, official page
What it means. In the HFM demo contest, only people who hold a “Demo Contest account” can take part. An ordinary demo or live account does not count automatically, so you need to set up the contest account.
Compete with a VIP demo trading account
Traders Trust, official page
What it means. The Traders Trust contest is held on a VIP demo account. Because the type of account is set, check before you enter which account you will use.
Who can enter
The countries and regions that can enter are set contest by contest.
This competition is valid for Japan and LATAM regions only.
Traders Trust, official page
What it means. This contest is open only to the regions of Japan and Latin America. Even though it appears in the English table, you cannot enter if you are outside those regions. This sentence does not give a list of countries, so check the official page.
The form of the prize, and withdrawing it
A prize can be cash, a trading bonus, or trading credit added to a live account. The form changes how it can be withdrawn. Traders Trust, for example, states that its winners receive trading credits directly into a live account.
A prize paid as trading funds can come with a rule about what happens when you withdraw.
Upon withdrawal of profits, the Prize amounts are deducted from the Live Accounts which are then archived.
HFM, official page
What it means. In the HFM demo contest, when you withdraw a profit, the prize amount is taken back out of the account and the account is archived. The prize money does not simply become yours. For other contests, this site could not confirm how the prize is treated on withdrawal, so read it in their terms.
Caution
Even a large prize leaves you with very different things depending on whether it is trading credit or cash, and whether withdrawing has conditions on the number or volume of trades. Do not choose a contest by the size of the prize alone. Check the form of the prize and how withdrawal is treated in the terms first.
Before you enter
- Check the kind of contest: demo account, live account or draw.
- Check which type of account competes, and how you set it up.
- Check whether your country or region is eligible.
- Check whether the prize is cash, or trading credit or a bonus.
- Check whether the prize can be withdrawn, whether only the profit can, and what happens to the prize when you withdraw.
- For anything missing from the table, or a contest with a blank end date, read the broker’s official page.
For how the demo account is set up, see Install MT4 and MT5 and log in. For how to read withdrawal conditions, see How to read bonus withdrawal conditions. For an example of a single contest, see HFM demo contest: rules and how to enter.
Risks to keep in mind
Trading with leverage can lose money quickly. Winning a contest prize does not remove that risk. In a contest held on a live account, the loss on a trade comes out of your own funds. This article does not recommend any broker. Read the broker’s full terms before you open an account, and only trade with money you can afford to lose.
