RMIT student Olivia Handreck has won the 2026 Entireti University Challenge, finishing ahead of TAFE NSW student Tasos Mihail in second place. Fellow RMIT student Adam Fowler took third.
A total of 91 teams from 13 tertiary institutions entered this year’s competition, which was held in Melbourne on 28 October. It featured a technical quiz, preparation and presentation of a statement of advice (SoA), and a topical presentation on wealth protection and life insurance advice.
Entrants can be individuals or teams of up to three, who must register online and choose a semester in which to compete.
An advice case study was released on 2 March for first-semester entrants and on 6 July for the second semester. Submissions to the competition closed on 4 May and 7 September respectively.
Entireti chief executive Neil Younger commended Handreck’s commitment to becoming a financial adviser and improving her skills, saying she encouraged all participants to continue pursuing careers in financial planning.
“We are proud to continue supporting this worthy initiative because financial planning is a fulfilling and rewarding career path, and every organisation can play a role in attracting talent to the profession,” Younger said in a statement.
“I’m excited about the high calibre of talent coming up through our universities and tertiary education institutions at a critical time for the profession.
“The Entireti University Challenge is an important part of Entireti’s efforts to identify, nurture and advance the next generation of financial advisers.”
Handreck said in the statement the challenge let students put their technical training into practice and receive feedback from advice experts.
“Participating in this event has been a great experience, especially early on in my career because there are tips and feedback from the judges that I can implement now,” she said.
“I’m passionate about helping people achieve their financial goals and I think, in this world of AI, advisers can make clients feel genuinely cared for and understood. Advice goes far beyond facts and numbers; it’s about making sure clients understand the advice they have been given and the risks in their lives.”
Handreck works part-time at Melbourne financial planning firm Belay Advisory and will start full-time at the firm next year after she graduates from RMIT.
The judges included Rebecca Pritchard, senior financial adviser at Rising Tide Financial Services; Alisdair Barr, founder and chief executive of Striver; and Phil Anderson, general manager policy, advocacy and standards at the Financial Advice Association Australia.
To be eligible to enter the University Challenge, a team member must be studying part-time or full-time at an Australian university or equivalent institution. None can be a current or former representative or authorised representative of an Australian financial services licensee, a direct Entireti employee or an immediate family member of one.
Entrants are barred from receiving assistance with preparing the SoA from professors, academic advisers, graduate students, family, financial advisers and other students, and prohibits financial planning software and plagiarism.
The technical quiz accounts for 20 per cent of the marks, the advice presentation 40 per cent and the topical presentation 40 per cent. First prize is $3000, second $2000 and third $1000, shared equally among team members.
AMP established the competition in 2011, and it has continued to run but under the Entireti banner since Entireti acquired AMP Financial Planning in 2024.
Participation in the challenge has historically been built into financial planning curricula at institutions such as Central Queensland University, Deakin, Griffith, TAFE NSW and the University of Wollongong.
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