Every year, microcap conferences introduce investors to dozens of promising companies. Yet, once the conference ends, there is rarely a structured way to measure which investment ideas actually performed the best.

The 2026 Microcap Stock Picking Contest will help track which investment ideas actually outperform and discover some great investors.

The contest gives investors an opportunity to test their stock-picking skills over a defined period while adding a little friendly competition to the microcap investing community. Top performers earn recognition for consistently identifying winning ideas.

The 2026 contest series features more than $15,000 in total cash prizes and bonuses across three separate competitions. Contest 1, focused on Planet MicroCap Las Vegas 2026, is now accepting submissions and offers a $5,000 prize pool + bonus prizes.

Lots of people think successful investing is about certainty but this Skull Session with Deiya Pernas of Pernas Research sits in uncertainty where information quality, narrative gaps, market inefficiencies, and disciplined analysis can drive better decisions than prediction. The discussion also covers how AI is reshaping software narratives, why less-followed and sometimes illiquid names can still create opportunity, and how the brothers think about businesses in terms of whether the underlying “motor” of a business is getting stronger or weaker. During my chat with Dean, we talked about motor investing. So it was nice to get Deiya’s point of view on this subject. 

Last week was a strong week of Skull Sessions. We welcomed back recurring guests, hedge fund manager Sean Westropp of Deepsail Capital and attorney John Sutter, to discuss the state of the short selling market and the conviction of Andrew Left, who was recently convicted of securities fraud in connection with a roughly $21 million stock market manipulation scheme and now faces up to 25 years in prison, with sentencing still pending. Whether you’re a professional or a casual investor, this case could have implications for how you interact on social media and how you approach writing and commentary when discussing stocks you like or dislike.

Last week, we held our June Open Forum. To start things off, we hosted Syra Health Corp. (OTCQB:SYRA) where we discussed its first profitable quarter and its positioning within value-based healthcare, including the behavioral health platform driving its recurring revenue angle. SYRA provides technology healthcare solutions to help improve patient care.