House App Contest
I invite all high school students from the Virginia Ninth Congressional District to participate in the Congressional App Challenge. This competition is designed to engage student's creativity and encourage their participation in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) education fields.
Established by Members of the U.S. House of Representatives in 2013, this competition is a nationwide event that allows students from across the country to participate by creating and exhibiting their software application, more commonly known as an "app," for mobile, tablet, or computer devices on a platform of their choice. The capabilities of apps are rapidly growing and increasingly valuable in our daily lives, and engaging students in coding and software development can expand their opportunities for their future.
How does the contest work?
Students entering the competition must submit their app's source code online by midnight on January 15, 2016 EST, as well as provide a video demo explaining their app and what they learned through this competition process. Students may compete as individuals or in teams of up to four. All submitted apps will be evaluated by a panel of impartial individuals within the academic and STEM fields from the Ninth District. Submitted apps will be evaluated based on creativity, innovativeness, technical difficulty, and conformity to House regulations. The winning student's app will be featured on the U.S. House of Representatives' website (www.House.gov), as well as on display in a U.S. Capitol exhibit. The winning students, schools, and teachers will be notified and sent additional instructions after all submitted works have been evaluated.
Getting Started
You can determine if you are eligible, create an account, and find additional information on the rules and specifics here: Congressional App Challenge - Getting Started.
Resources for Students and Teachers
- Scratch a simple visual programming language
- Alice is used to create 3D animations
Faculty or students may contact Jessica Paska of my staff at (202) 225-3861 or by email at jessica.paska@mail.house.gov with any questions related to the competition.
