2024 Congressional App Challenge

As a proud supporter of STEM education, I am always excited to host this friendly competition for the students in my district. 

The Challenge is open to middle school and high school students of all levels of coding experience. Students can work as individuals or in teams to create an app for any platform and in any language.

Details and deadlines pertaining to the 2024 Congressional App Challenge will be posted on this page when they are made available.

What is the Congressional App Challenge?

The Congressional App Challenge (CAC) is a competition aimed at encouraging middle school and high school students in California’s 26th Congressional District to learn how to code by creating their own applications. The Challenge is intended to highlight the value of computer science and STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education and encourage students to engage in these fields. By encouraging and recognizing our nation’s young programming talent, Congress hopes to shine a light on the growing importance of these skills.

Winners of this challenge have their app displayed at Capitol Hill! 

For more information on rules, guidelines, and registration, please visit www.CongressionalAppChallenge.us.

No coding experience needed.

Process

1. Create Your App

You can create any type of app you like, on any platform you like. In the past, we’ve seen students submit mobile apps, web apps, study tools, games, journal apps, and more.

To get you started, here are some resources you can check out. You can also look for help through various organizations that focus on teaching teen coding. Check out some of our partners, and see if there are any in your neighborhood who might be able to help you out.

The app does not have to be complete. Students may code the first few pages and provide wire frames for the rest.

Happy Coding! 

2. Submit a Video About Your App

Once you have completed your app, you will also need to submit a 3-minute video and answer the questions below:

  1. Short Description: What is your app trying to accomplish and why? (350 characters max.)
  2. What’s a difficulty you faced in programming your app and how did you overcome it? (1,500 characters max.)
  3. What improvements would make if you were going to create a version 2.0 of your app?  (750 characters max.)

Your video should be no more than 3 minutes, and should do the following:

  • Explain the purpose of your app.
  • Explain who your intended audience is.
  • Mention what tools and languages you used to create your app.
  • Show how your app would be used.

Once you’ve created your video, upload it to YouTube, Vimeo, or any other video-hosting site. Make sure the video is set to public. If it’s not set to public, the judges won’t be able to see it.

Note: Videos that go over 3 minutes won’t be disqualified, but the judges may penalize you at their own discretion.

Past Winners

  • 2023: Jason Xie, David Wan, Vaibhav Sridhar, and George Wang, students at Oak Park High School, created Infect-ID, an interactive app that helps visualize the spread of diseases to keep communities informed and safe.  
  • 2022: Rohan Philip, a ninth grader at Oak Park High School, created VetConnect, an app that connects veterans and their families with the mental health resources they need.
  • 2021: Alexander Sherbrooke, Hershraj Niranjani, and Ryan McCombs, students at the High School at Moorpark College, created Quiznot, a game-based learning app with progressively challenging games that can be played on any device, including laptops, tablets, and smartphones, and designed to be available for students, teachers, and parents.
  • 2020: Andres Nedilskyj, Nicolas Alvarado, Marco Palacios, and Christopher De Guzman, students at Pacifica High School in Oxnard, created Mustard Math, an educational gaming app that requires users to solve mathematical equations and collect trash to move their rocket ship forward through space.
  • 2019: Cecelia Wong, a senior at Rancho Campana High School, created Speek, an augmentative and alternative communication app that helps people with non-verbal disabilities communicate with others.
  • 2018: Nathan Juan, a junior at Newbury Park High School, created FaStats, an app that helps youth sports teams track statistics for fast, easy, and up-to-date results.
  • 2017: Sophia Taylor and Abigail Creech of Rancho Campana High School developed Connect Me, an app designed to help people who are experiencing domestic violence, suicidal thoughts, eating disorders, and other difficult situations by connecting them with talk and text hotlines, community resources, and reminders to improve their physical and mental health.
  • 2016: Victoria Juan of Newbury Park High School created Jerd, an app to help student journalists maintain their interview recordings, notes, and picture files in one place to improve organization and fact-checking.