Congressional App Challenge

I am proud to announce that each fall, I host the Congressional App Challenge for middle and high school students who reside or attend school in the 2nd Congressional District of Mississippi. The Congressional App Challenge is designed to inspire middle and high school students to explore the world of STEM. Participants are tasked with creating projects that involve coding, whether that’s developing apps, building websites, programming robots, or other creative innovations.

The winning individual or team will be invited to Washington, DC, for a reception and a two-day science fair called #HouseofCode, though airfare and accommodations are not provided. All winners will also have their apps displayed in the U.S. Capitol Building for a year.

ELIGIBILITY

Each participant must meet the following eligibility requirements:

• Age: Students must be in middle or high school at the time of app submission.
• Location: Students must either reside or attend school in the 2nd Congressional District of Mississippi.
• Teams: Students may compete as individuals or in teams of up to four students, in which at least two students must reside or attend school in the district.

DATES & DEADLINES

• May 1st, 2025: Congressional App Challenge launches
• October 30th, 2025: Deadline to submit apps (12 PM, Eastern Time)
• November: Judging Period
• December (TBA): Congressional District Winners Announcement
• Spring 2026 (TBA): #HouseofCode Science Fair

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

The full text of the rules for student participants can be found on the Congressional App Challenge website under the ‘students’ tab.

 

To complete a submission, students must submit the following:

• Registration: Students can register for the 2025 Congressional App Challenge at https://www.congressionalappchallenge.us/.
         o If students are competing as part of a team, one teammate should create the team profile, which will allow for that user to invite up to three other team members to edit the application.
• App Information: Students will be asked to answer a series of questions similar to the following:       
         o What is the name of your app?
         o What is the purpose of your app? (One sentence explanation needed)
         o What inspired you to create this app? (Short description needed)
         o What is your app trying to accomplish? (Short description needed)
         o What technical/coding difficulty did you encounter in programming your app, and how did you overcome this challenge?
• Demonstration Video (max 3 min): Students must create a 1-3 minute video, post it on YouTube, and submit the link on the CAC submission form. The video must be set up to public view. Please review in full the 2025 CAC rules for further details on the demonstration video.

Click Here to see 2024 App Challenge Winners 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

• Contact Yasmine Brown at Yasmine.brown@mail.house.gov