Congressional App Challenge
The Congressional App Challenge (CAC) is a public effort to encourage kids to learn how to code through annual district-wide competitions hosted by Members of Congress for their district.
Established by the United States House of Representatives in 2014, this competition encourages students to create and submit their app for the opportunity to receive national recognition. Students may participate as individuals or in teams of up to four. Congressional App Challenge (CAC) winners may be eligible to have their app featured on display in the Capitol Building in Washington, DC. They will be honored by their Member of Congress.
Here’s how to participate:
1. Register
· Starting Wednesday, March 20, 2024, you can register at CongressionalAppChallenge.us. The Congressional App Challenge will run until October 24, 2024.
2. Think of an App you’d like to create
· Do you want to create a game? Do you want to create an app to solve a problem? There is no limit to what you can create for the Congressional App Challenge.
3. Design your App
· What will your app look like? What does it need to accomplish?
4. Create your App
· You can work independently or as part of a team of up to four students. Find Resources to help you on our website CongressionalAppChallenge.us
5. Submit
· Submit your app anytime before October 24, 2024. Winners will be announced in December 2024.
Student Eligibility
1. Students can only compete in districts that have signed up for the challenge.
2. Students may only compete in a single district.
3. Students may only submit one application.
4. Students may compete in either: a. The district in which they reside, or b. The district in which they attend school.
5. Students may compete as individuals or in teams of up to four. If competing as a team: at least 50% of the teammates must be eligible to compete in the district where they submit their app.
6. Middle school and high school students are eligible. Students may not participate after having graduated high school.
7. The Congressional App Challenge is subject to all applicable United States federal laws and regulations. Participation constitutes the entrant’s full and unconditional agreement to the Official Rules.
When can students enter the challenge?
The registration and “Submission Period” starts at 12:00 PM (noon) Eastern Time (“ET”), March 20, 2024. Try to register before September 30th, 2024 (registration indicates your intent to compete). The app submission deadline is 5:00 PM ET, October 24, 2024. (If competing as a team, all team members must submit their information on the registration form to participate.)
How do students enter the challenge?
Visit CongressionalAppChallenge.us to register and get more details on how to submit your entry. (If competing as a team, all team members must submit their information on the registration form to participate.)
Students may submit apps they created before the challenge as long as they met the eligibility standards and were constructed within one year of the submission deadline (e.g., any time after October 24th, 2023).
Submission Requirements
A complete submission will include the following components:
1. Registration Form (found on congressionalappchallenge.us)
2. Application Elements
· Name of your app
· The coding language used to create the app
· Purpose: Explain your app’s purpose in ONE sentence
· Inspiration: What inspired you to create this app?
· Tell us about a technical/coding difficulty you faced in programming your app, and explain your solution.
· What still needs to be improved about your app?
3. Demonstration Video
· Students must create a 1-3 minute video showcasing what your app does and how it works.
· The video must be uploaded onto a public site like Youtube or Vimeo and set to public so the judges can view them.
4. Video Requirements:
· Tell us your name(s) and the name of your app.
· Clearly explain the purpose of your app.
· Explain who your app is intended for.
· Tell us what tools and coding languages you used to create your app.
· Show us how your app is used. This constitutes the entrant’s full and unconditional agreement to the Official Rules.
4. Exit Questionnaire
· A mandatory and anonymous exit questionnaire will be emailed to all students after the submission period closes.
