Top Students and Schools to Win Big Cash Prizes in BOJ Money Quest Competition

Grades four to six students across the island will have the opportunity to win a cash prize of up to $200,000 when the Bank of Jamaica (BOJ) rolls out its new online game, BOJ Money Quest, later this year.

The students’ schools will also have the chance to win up to $500,000 if they are selected as the top institution in the competition.

The financial literacy gamification platform, developed by Database Technologies Limited for children aged 10 to 12 years, was officially launched during a ceremony at the BOJ Auditorium in Kingston, on Friday (May 29).

Senior Deputy Governor, Dr. Wayne Robinson, outlined the suite of prizes that will be available to students playing the game.

“There will be an overall first, second, and third place nationally for each child. The national champion will get $200,000; the second-place national champion will get $100,000, and the third place national champion will get $50,000,” he detailed.

Dr. Robinson explained that there will also be 14 parish champions, each of whom will receive a cash prize of $50,000.

He said the cash prizes will be deposited into an account at a financial institution of the winner’s choice.

The top performing schools in the competition will also receive cash prizes.

“The champion school will get $500,000; the second-place school will get $300,000, and the third-place school will get $200,000. We thought it was important to do this, because we really want to recognise the schools. We really want to recognise the contribution that the schools and the teachers have made,” the Senior Deputy Governor noted.

Meanwhile, in emphasising the importance of the game, Dr. Robinson noted that it complements what teachers are already doing in the classroom.

“It is curriculum aligned, meaning it reinforces what students are already learning in school, while introducing key financial concepts such as budgeting, saving, responsible money management, and sound financial decision making,” he said.

The Senior Deputy Governor noted that the game has multiple levels that increase in complexity as a student advances.

He said it incorporates puzzles, crosswords, and word challenges that make financial vocabulary feel natural rather than intimidating.

“School leader boards will inspire healthy competition, while motivational affirmations, custom game soundtracks and voice elements recorded by BOJ’s own internal management give the platform energy and importantly, a distinctly Jamaican flavour,” Dr. Robinson outlined.

He emphasised that it is fully accessible on phones, tablets, and computers, ensuring that no student is disadvantaged.

The Senior Deputy Governor further reinforced that the platform was uniquely tailored for students using their input.

Dr. Robinson explained that beta testing was conducted in July 2025, with 15 schools.

The participating schools were Port Antonio Primary, St. Catherine Preparatory, Kendal Primary and Infant, St. Ann Preparatory, Seaforth Primary, Bamboo Primary, St. Michael’s Primary, Warsop Primary, Unity Primary, Catherine Hall Primary, Mayfield Primary, Maxfield Park Primary, May Pen Primary, Mona Preparatory and Harbour View Primary.

“Student feedback was collected, analysed, and we went back to the drawing board, and we used it directly to improve the platform before [the] launch. So, the product you will see today has been strengthened by the insights and inputs from those who will use it,” he affirmed.

Meanwhile, Senior Software Developer, Peter Thelwell, who gave a demonstration of the game play, explained that students will receive their usernames and passwords from their teachers to gain access to the game.

“We do not store the names of the students. The usernames will be provided to the students by the teacher. So, [they] will know how to identify [their] students,” he pointed out.

Mr. Thelwell explained that the main aim of the game is to have students answering financial literacy questions correctly to earn points.

“The faster [they] answer the questions is the more bonus time points [they will] gain. If they get an answer wrong, they will get a second chance to try again, but they will receive fewer points for the retry,” he explained.

Mr. Thelwell noted that at the end of each level, students will face a “boss battle” where they will assess their skills in a special crossword and word search challenge.

He explained that the game includes a scoreboard which displays player and school rankings where students will be able to view where they ranked, compared to others playing the game.