Steel City to host 2017 National LifeSmarts Championship event April 21-24 – National Consumers League

April 20, 2017

Returning 2016 champs from Dallas, PA will defend national title in Pittsburgh

Mayor Peduto to welcome state champion teams facing off at 23rd annual national consumer literacy scholarship competition

For immediate release: April 20, 2017
Contact: Carol McKay, carolm@nclnet.org, (724) 799-5392

Pittsburgh, PA — In celebration of April’s Financial Literacy Month, the National Consumers League (NCL) has announced the 31 state champion teams that have earned a spot at the 2017 National LifeSmarts Championship, which will take place starting later this month in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Mayor William Peduto will officially welcome the state champion teams arriving in Pittsburgh at the event kickoff Friday, April 21 at 5 pm at the Westin Convention Center Pittsburgh.

LifeSmarts (LifeSmarts.org) is a national consumer literacy scholarship competition, celebrating its 23rd season this year, hosted by NCL, the nation’s oldest consumer watchdog organization. The 2017 National LifeSmarts Champion team will be crowned on Monday, April 24.

Complete roster of state champions teams available here

LifeSmarts is a competitive educational program, in which teams of students begin online. Top-scorers progress to state competitions, and then state champion teams meet each April to compete in the National LifeSmarts Championship. This year’s lineup of state champion teams come from as far away as Roosevelt High School from Honolulu, Hawaii, and as near as the Pennsylvania team from Dallas, which returns to the National Championship to defend its title as the 2016 national champs. 

“We are so proud of this year’s state LifeSmarts champions, who have proven themselves to be the best and the brightest of the next generation of consumers,” said Sally Greenberg, NCL Executive Director. “LifeSmarts is fun and fast, and the perfect vehicle for educating young consumers. Our program goes in-depth on the issues kids—and adults—are facing now: finances, health care, the environment, and technology.”

The 2017 National LifeSmarts Champion and other winning teams will walk away with prizes and scholarships. In addition to placing as a team, individual students have the opportunity to compete for scholarships by demonstrating knowledge in specific program topic areas. The top eight placing teams and top five individuals are recognized. Additionally, NCL will award scholarships to winning participants from its Safety Smart Ambassador program, conducted in conjunction with Underwriters Laboratories (UL), which offers high school students the opportunity to teach very young students environmental and safety lessons as a community service.

NCL thanks the sponsors who make the program possible including McNeil Consumer Healthcare, Western Union, Johnson & Johnson, LifeLock, UL, Comcast, Intuit, Experian, American Express, the International Dairy Foods Association, CARE, the Washington State Employees Credit Union (WSECU), and the World Wildlife Fund.

Consumer-savvy teens representing 30 states and the District of Columbia will compete at this year’s national event. Throughout the 2016-2017 program year, more than 100,000 teens competed online for a chance to represent their states at the 2017 National LifeSmarts Championship. Players answered more than 3 million consumer questions in the online competition.

MEDIA AVAILABILITY

Event kickoff featuring Mayor William Peduto

When: Friday, April 21, 2017 at 5 pm
Where: Westin Convention Center Pittsburgh, Allegheny Ballroom (third floor), 1000 Penn Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15222 

Final competition

When:  Monday, April 24, 2017
Where:  Westin Convention Center Pittsburgh Hotel, 1000 Penn Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15222

Final and semi-final matches begin:  Monday, April 24, 9 a.m. Eastern Time
Awards Ceremony: 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Eastern

Follow the competition online

Parents and teachers can follow the action at Facebook.com/LifeSmarts and via Twitter: #LifeSmarts

The semi-final and final competition matches will be streamed live at LifeSmarts.org.

Monday, April 24, 2017 starting at 9 a.m. Eastern Time

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About the National Consumers League and LifeSmarts

The National Consumers League, founded in 1899, is America’s pioneer consumer organization. Our mission is to protect and promote social and economic justice for consumers and workers in the United States and abroad. For more information, visit www.nclnet.org.

LifeSmarts is a program of the National Consumers League. State coordinators run the programs on a volunteer basis. For more information, visit: www.LifeSmarts.org, email LifeSmarts@nclnet.org, or call the National Consumers League’s communications department at 202-835-3323.