The annual Congressional App Challenge works to inspire students in congressional districts across the country through hands-on practice with coding and computer science. The contest is an opportunity for young people to cultivate their skills in these STEM disciplines and to begin thinking about their futures in any of the many American industries that will rely on emerging technologies and STEM innovation in the coming years. Finally, the competition seeks to actively include students from communities that have been underrepresented in the tech industry, and encourage them to envision a future in this important field.
To be eligible to participate in the Congressional App Challenge, you must be a middle or high school student at the time of app submission.
Students may register as individuals or as teams of up to four. No more than four students are allowed to form a team.
Students may compete in the district they reside in or the district they attend school in.
If competing as a team, at least half of the teammates must be eligible to compete in the district in which they are participating in.
If you are not sure whether you are a 7th District resident,
click here.
Students may use any programming language they choose, including C, C++, JavaScript, Python, Ruby, "block code," etc. You may design your app for any platform, including PC, web browser, tablet, mobile, robot, etc. Be as creative as you like!
Learning to Code
If you would like to participate and need a refresher in coding, here are some resources that may be helpful:
MIT App Inventor
StackOverflow
Code.org
CodeAcademy
Khan Academy
Scratch
Thunkable
2020 Congressional App Challenge Official Partners
Registration
Student registration officially opens on
June 1, 2020. The deadline for students to register and submit their app online is
October 19, 2020.
To register for the 2020 Congressional App Challenge, click here.
Important Dates
June 1 – Student registration opens
October 19 – Deadline for students to register and submit their app online
October 20 to December 1 – Judging period
December – Winners announced
If you have questions at any point during this process,
please call our district office at (804) 401-4110.
Winners
Winning apps are eligible to be displayed in the U.S. Capitol and featured on the House of Representatives’ website. Winning students are also invited to the #HouseofCode Capitol Hill Reception in Washington.
There may be additional prizes sponsored by App Challenge official partners, TBA.
