Congressional App Challenge

The Congressional App Challenge is a nationwide middle and high school STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) competition sponsored by the Members of the U.S. House of Representatives. The Congressional App Challenge is an opportunity for students to practice and showcase their coding skills.

The Congressional App Challenge is open to all middle and high school students in Illinois’ 6th Congressional District. The winning app from our district's competition will be displayed for one year in the U.S. Capitol and featured on the Congressional App Challenge webpage. The winner will also receive an invitation to attend a winner's celebration inside the U.S. Capitol called #HouseOfCode. The winning artwork is also featured on House.gov's Congressional App Challenge page.

You can register for the 2025 Congressional App Challenge on their official form here. The deadline is October 30, 2025, by 12:00 PM EDT.

The following is a summary of the Congressional App Challenge rules:

Eligibility Criteria

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.
All competing students must be U.S. residents at the time of submission. There is no citizen requirement. for stu
Students may submit any app they’ve created after October 24th, 2024. If submitting a 2.0 version of an app, only the new coding should be highlighted for consideration.
Students may only submit one app per year. Multiple entries across multiple teams is not allowed.

App Parameters

TOPIC: The app can be about any topic.
PLATFORM: The app can be developed for any platform, including but not limited to web app, desktop/PC apps, mobile apps, web
browser extensions, robots, augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), wearable devices, smart devices, and embedded systems.
PROGRAMMING LANGUAGE: Participants may use any programming language, including but not limited to C, C++, Objective C, C#, Java, JavaScript, Python, Ruby, PHP, Swift, and block-based coding languages.
FUNCTIONALITY: The app must have some degree of functionality to be competitive.
CONTENT SUITABILITY: The app must adhere to standards of decency and respect. It must not be indecent, defamatory, in obvious bad taste, or demonstrate a lack of respect for public morals or conduct. The app must not adversely affect the reputation of Congressional districts, depict hatred, defame, or threaten any specific community, or incite violence. Apps containing pornography, obscenity, or sexual activity are strictly prohibited. Additionally, the app must not violate any Intellectual Property, common law, or privacy rights of third parties
ORIGINALITY: The app must be original and solely created by the contestant. All coding and technical development must be done by the student or student team. While participants may use open-source libraries, frameworks, and external tools, they must clearly document any such usage and ensure their project reflects significant personal effort and technical understanding. No other party should have any rights or interest in the app, whether known or unknown.
AI USAGE: The use of AI tools in app development for the Congressional App Challenge is permitted, provided that all AI usage is fully disclosed in the submission materials. AI may only be used to support specific aspects of the project and must not constitute the entirety of the technical development. Participants are expected to demonstrate significant individual contributions and technical understanding of their app.

If you would like more information on the annual Congressional App Challenge, please visit their website. The deadline is October 30, 2025, by 12:00 PM EDT.