Registration open for teams in 2025-2026 Hawaiʻi LifeSmarts competition

The Hawaiʻi State Business Registration Division invites teams to participate in the 2025-2026 Hawaiʻi LifeSmarts competition.

LifeSmarts is a free, national educational program that teaches students critical life skills in five key areas: personal finance, consumer rights and responsibilities, health and safety, the environment, and technology.

This is done through online quizzes and in-person competitions, with teams made up of one adult coach/teacher and at least four students.

Teams can register at lifesmarts.org.

Once registered, high school or “varsity” teams with students in grades 9 through 12 can participate in the online portion of the competition from Oct. 13 until Dec. 5 at 7 p.m.

The top four highest-scoring teams will be invited to compete in the state championship competition in Honolulu on Feb. 20. The winning team will have the opportunity to represent Hawaiʻi at the national competition, scheduled for April 15 to 18 in Orlando, Fla.

Middle school or “junior varsity” teams with students in grades 6 to 8 can participate in an online-only competition from Oct. 13 to Dec. 5, at 7 p.m.

In 2023, a team from Maryknoll School in Honolulu beat out teams from 41 other states to win Hawaiʻiʻs first national championship in the competition.

For more information about the Hawaiʻi LifeSmarts program, visit www.lifesmartshawaii.com or contact LifeSmarts State Coordinator, Theresa Kong Kee, at 808-587-7400 or tkongkee@dcca.hawaii.gov.

The Hawaiʻi LifeSmarts program is locally sponsored by the state Business Registration Division and Insurance Division, in partnership with the Hawaiʻi Credit Union League, and is run by the National Consumers League. 

More than 3,200 local students have participated in Hawaiʻi LifeSmarts since 2004. Local businesses interested in becoming a sponsor of the Hawaiʻi LifeSmarts program are welcome to contact the state coordinator for more information.