Congresswoman Julia Brownley

Representing the 26th District of California

The Congressional App Challenge

Congressional App Challenge

App Challenge Dates for 2017 to be determined!

What is the House App Challenge?

The Congressional App Challenge (CAC) is a competition aimed at encouraging U.S. 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 Math) 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. 

For more information, please visit http://www.congressionalappchallenge.us/.

All participants will first need to register online.

Congratulations to Congresswoman Brownley’s 2016 Congressional App Challenge Winner!

Victoria Juan of Newbury Park High School

Victoria 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. This helps sustain the standards of ethical, source-backed journalism so that news can continue to be honest and information.

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.

You can also check out advice from some of our #TechTeens, other teenagers who have learned how to code and have shared their experiences.
Happy Coding!

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

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.

Questions

You will also need to answer the following questions before you submit your app:

  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? (1500 characters max.)
  3. What improvements would make if you were going to create a version 2.0 of your app?  (750 characters max.)

NO CODING EXPERIENCE NEEDED.

Download Rules and Regulations for 2016 Challenge

Download Flyer for 2016 Challenge

Online Submission

Registration information for 2017 will be posted here.

Thank you to all 2016 House App Challenge participants!

If you are interested in participating in 2017, please contact us at (805) 379-1779 or Lexie.Gritlefeld@mail.house.gov .