Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE AND CONSUMER AFFAIRS
KA ʻOIHANA PILI KĀLEPA

JOSH GREEN, M.D.
GOVERNOR | KE KIAʻĀINA

NADINE Y. ANDO
DIRECTOR | KA LUNA HOʻOKELE

TY Y. NOHARA
SECURITIES COMMISSIONER

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 27, 2023

Registration Opens for 2023-2024 Hawaiʻi LifeSmarts Competition

HONOLULU — The state Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs’ (DCCA) Business Registration Division invites teams to participate in the 2023-2024 Hawaiʻi LifeSmarts Competition.

LifeSmarts is a free, national educational program that teaches students critical life skills in five key areas: Personal Finance, Consumer Rights & Responsibilities, Health & Safety, the Environment, and Technology through online quizzes and in-person competitions. Teams must consist of one adult coach/teacher and at least 4 students.

Registration is now open at lifesmarts.org.

Once registered, high school or “varsity” teams can participate in the online portion of the competition from Monday, October 16, 2023, until Friday, December 8, 2023, at 7 p.m. HST. The top four highest-scoring teams will be invited to compete at the state championship competition in Honolulu on February 2, 2024. The winning team will have the opportunity to represent Hawaiʻi  at the national LifeSmarts competition, scheduled for April 18 to 21, 2024, in San Diego, California.

This year, the Hawaiʻi LifeSmarts Program kicks off with a historic win. Team Hawaiʻi from Maryknoll School currently holds the 2023 National LifeSmarts Championship title.  Maryknoll’s win marks the first-ever National LifeSmarts Championship for Hawaiʻi in the state’s 19 years of participation.

“We are proud that Hawaiʻi holds the 2023 National LifeSmarts Championship title and we hope this inspires more teams statewide to register,” said Securities Commissioner Ty Nohara. “We also enter this year’s competition celebrating 20 years of educating and preparing students for the ‘real world’ through this free national educational program.”

Middle school or “junior varsity”  teams with students in grades 6 to 8 can participate in an online-only competition from October 16, 2023, to December 8, 2023.

For more information about the Hawaiʻi LifeSmarts program, please visit www.lifesmartshawaii.com or contact LifeSmarts State Coordinator, Theresa Kong Kee, at (808) 587-7400 or [email protected].

The Hawaiʻi LifeSmarts program is locally sponsored by the DCCA’s Business Registration Division and Insurance Division, in partnership with the Hawaiʻi Credit Union League, and is run by the National Consumers League.  More than 2,900 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.

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Media Contact:
William Nhieu
Communications Officer
Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs
Email: [email protected]
Office: (808) 586-7582