Applications are rolling in for Sharetrack 100, the fantasy share-dealing competition run by The Irish Times in association with Goodbody Stockbrokers, with more than 3,500 players signed up so far.

Contestants have just over one week left to enter the competition before registration closes at midnight on Sunday, April 29th. But those wishing to avail of a cash bonus of 25,000 in addition to their imaginary purse of one million must register by midnight tonight. Registrations received after this deadline will receive no bonus.

An overall first prize of £15,000 (#19,000) will be awarded to the person whose portfolio has the highest balance at the end of the competition on Friday, July 6th at 5.30 p.m. Second prize will be £7,000 and third prize £3,000. Weekly winners will be awarded £1,000 and one year's commission-free share dealing through Goodbody's.

A contestant's portfolio must contain eight companies from any eight different sectors of the 12 sectors on offer. Two companies must be selected as core holdings, which will be held for the duration of the contest. Contestants can trade the remaining six, but can make only one trade in any given week. When picking a portfolio, investors should not think "long term". They should choose shares they feel are likely to do well over the three-month period of the competition.

These could include companies which will report over that period and stand to get a boost from strong earnings performance, companies in acquiring mode or even potential takeover targets. With many companies already in the midst of the first-quarter reporting season, contestants would be advised to check the results reported in this newspaper to see how companies are doing. Contestants can stay informed throughout the competition by visiting the Sharetrack sections of www.ireland.com/ business and www.goodbody.ie websites.