Congressional App Challenge

Every year, middle and high school students across the country are invited to create a unique app on a platform of their choice as part of the Congressional App Challenge. This challenge highlights the value of computer science and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) education. Students of all skill levels are encouraged to participate, and 35% of challenge participants in 2022 even described themselves as coding beginners!  

Students must register at congressionalappchallenge.us and submit their app by October 30, 2025. Students may register as an individual, or as part of a team of up to 4 students. Submissions will be judged based on quality of the idea, including creativity and originality; implementation of the idea, including user experience and design; and demonstrated excellence of coding and programming skills. 

All winners will be invited to attend the #HouseofCode Capitol Hill Reception, meet with Congresswoman Bynum, display their app in the US Capitol Building, and be featured on the House of Representatives website.  

You can find past winners here.

For more information, call my office at (503) 387-8651 or visit the official Congressional App Challenge website here.  

Resources

Below are some of the past participants’ favorite educational resources. Remember that if one of them doesn’t work for you, there are many alternatives. Don’t get discouraged – just try another one!  

Apple: https://developer.apple.com/learn/curriculum/   

Replit: https://replit.com/  

theCoderSchool: http://thecoderschool.com/   

Khan Academy: https://www.khanacademy.org/  

MIT App Inventor: http://appinventor.mit.edu/explore/index-2.html  

Scratch: https://scratch.mit.edu/  

StackOverflow: https://stackoverflow.com/   

Thunkable: https://thunkable.com/  

CodeAcademy.com: https://www.codecademy.com/  

Girls Who Code: https://girlswhocode.com/programs/code-at-home  

For more information, visit the Congressional App Challenge’s Learn to Code page!    

Congressional App Challenge FAQ's

What Congressional District do you compete in? 

A student can compete in the district they reside or attend school. Students can compete in a team of up to four students, and two of them must reside or attend school in the participating district. 

Can homeschooled students participate? 

Yes, any middle or high school student who lives in Oregon’s 5th Congressional District or is eligible to attend public school in the district can compete.  

What platform can you use? 

Any platform: mobile app, robot, website, game, wearable program, machinery, and more.  

What coding language can you use? 

You can use any coding language, and the app can be any topic: JavaScript, HTML, Python, Swift, Ruby, C, C++, etc... Students can also use “block code”, API’s, AI, and other tools in the development of their app.