House App Challenge

Please fill out this contact form so your Representative can contact you with updates about the Challenge.

 

The Congressional App Challenge is a competition aimed at encouraging U.S. high school students to learn how to code by creating their own applications. The Challenge is intended to highlight the value of computer science and STEM education (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math).

The House of Representatives knows how crucial these skills are and wants to 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.

Please note that this competition is open to all students, regardless of coding experience. We strongly encourage students of all skill levels to participate, to learn how to create their own apps.

 

Judging Criteria

Summary of How to Enter:

1. Check your eligibility
2. Register on Challenge.gov
3. Make sure you’re on the right challenge page
4. Fill out this form with your contact information
5. CREATE YOUR APP!
6. Submit your app and a demonstration video explaining what it does
7. Fill out the exit questionnaire.

 

Step 1: Check Your Eligibility

To be eligible to participate in the Congressional App Challenge, you must fulfill the following requirements:

• You must reside or attend school in a district with a participating Representative.
• You must be 13 years of age by or on November 9, 2015.
• You must be eligible to attend high school in the district in which you’re competing. (If you attend school in a different district than the one in which you reside, you may compete in either district, but you may only submit an app in one district.)
• If you are competing in a team: at least two of the students in your team must reside or attend high school in the district in which you are competing.

 

Step 2: Register on Challenge.gov

Challenge.gov is the platform that hosts our app submissions. Though you can see all the challenges that are posted on Challenge.gov without registering, you must actually register in order to submit your own app. The registration process should only take 2 or 3 minutes.

 

Step 3: Make sure you’re on the right District’s Challenge page

Every Member of Congress has their own unique Challenge page, and you need to make sure to find the correct one. You can double-check what district you live in, here.

Once you’ve registered on Challenge.gov, you can search for your District’s Challenge in the search bar on the top right of the website window. Make sure you’re on the correct page!

 

Step 4: Submit Contact Information

Please fill out this form with your name and contact information. The Internet Education Foundation will use this information to make sure that you are eligible and that you are competing in the correct District. It should take no more than 2 minutes.

 

Step 5: CREATE!

Once you’re all signed up, you can move ahead with creating your app!

You must also create a 1-4 minute Demonstration Video, outlining:

• What your app does;
• What tools you used to create your app; and
• How your app works;

Please note that your entry may be judged in its entirety based on this video. It is important to demonstrate the scope and quality of your application in this video. The video should be no more than four minutes in length.

 

Step 6: Submit Your App and Demonstration Video

Once your app is done, you can submit it on your district’s page on challenge.gov. You can submit your app any time from November 9th, 2015 until midnight EST, January 15, 2016.

 

Step 7: Fill out the exit form on CongressionalAppChallenge.US