- $160 (5 Sessions)
Learning Hours
Projects Created
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The Congressional App Challenge program, hosted by the members of the U.S. House of Representatives, encourages middle school and high school students to create and submit original apps that solve a district-specific problem. Students can use Python, JavaScript, or any other programming language to build their apps. The winning apps are displayed in the US Capitol Building, and are featured on the House of Representatives’ website. The 2025 competition deadline is October 30th, 2025 at 12:00 pm EST.
The Congressional App Challenge is a great way to apply what you have learned in coding to address real world problems. Any student in middle school or high school can submit a project, as long as your congressional district participates (check here to see if your district is part of it). We have supported our students for Congressional App Challenge with mulitple students winning in their respective each year. Learn more about how to choose a platform, and other tips in the FAQ section.
Eager to join but don’t know what project to build and how to complete it end to end? To help more students participate, we run several groups of mentoring classes. Depending on your child's favorite tools, your child can choose to build their app with Thunkable (for mobile apps), Python, or HTML/CSS/Javascript. We run mentoring classes for each of these areas.
Each group will meet for 5 sessions. We will guide students through the entire process of identifying real world problems, designing their overall app, planning out the steps to complete, and building the app step by step. Our teacher will also help students resolve any coding challenges they might run into during the development process. We estimate students will need to spend 2-3 hours a week to build the app outside of the class to complete a medium level difficulty project in 5 weeks. Check out projects by 2024 winners for reference.
Note - Congressional App Challenge opens around summer each year and ends October / November. So we only run these mentoring classes June through October. If you are interested in this excellent challenge, we recommend taking one or more of following classes first so you have the core coding skills to build your app - Mobile Coding for Apps and Games, Python for AI, or Build Your Web with HTML/CSS/Javascript.
This class is designed for students who would like to build their mobile app with Thunkable for the Congressional App Challenge. Similar to other mentoring sessions, we identify real world programs, design the app, and help students resolve any coding challenges they might run into during the development process. You need to have completed our Mobile Coding for Apps and Games class to join.
This class is designed for students who would like to build their app with HTML/CSS/Javascript for the Congressional App Challenge. We will start from identifying real world problems, designing the app, to building it step by step. Our teacher will also help students resolve any coding challenges they might run into during the development process. You need to have completed our Build Your Web or learned equivalent materials to join. We also recommend completing the Advanced Python class. Even though it focuses on Python, the learning there can be applied to building website just as effectively.
This class is designed for students who would like to build their app primarily with Python for the Congressional App Challenge. The structure of the class is similar to others. Our teacher will work with students from ideation to planning, to resolving problems that come up along the way. You need to have completed the Python for AI class or learned equivalent materials to join. We also highly recommend completing the Advanced Python class, which will allow you to build a lot more sophisticated projects with the time available.
We are excited to support students who who would like to build their app on Roblox for the Congressional App Challenge. With the Roblox popularity, an Roblox app will likely get a lot of interest from other kids who are excited about your cause. We will start from identifying a community topics you care about, designing the app, to building it step by step. Our teacher will also help students resolve any coding challenges they might run into during the development process. You need to have completed Beginner Roblox Coding or Roblox Coding with Lua to join.
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We are a big fan of the Congressional App Challenge. It is an amazing opportunity for middle and high school students to put their coding skills to use to solve real world problems in their local community. It is also the only competition that is officially sponsored by the US Congress and competition is conducted within each Congressional District. Last but not least, winning apps get displayed in the U.S. Capitol Building and featured on the House of Representatives' website – how cool is that for a resume builder and a confidence boost!
Any students in middle and high school can participate. Your congressional district must also be part of the initiative. You can check the list to see if your district is participating. If not, we might be able to help connect you with students in participating districts to form a team.
Any middle and high school students can join the Congressional App Challenges. You can also join every year and it is free to join. Start early to get used to the process. As students build their coding skills, they can build increasingly advanced apps.
The 2025 Congressional App Challenge is open for registration now and the deadline for submission is October 30th, 2025. Students may register as individuals or as teams of up to four. Students can register in either the district they reside in or the one they attend school in.
For students new to the Congressional App Challenge, working with an experienced instructor can be invaluable. A mentor can help you brainstorm topics, define key features, and follow a clear, stage-by-stage timeline to bring your app to life. Inevitably, you’ll run into challenges along the way, and a mentor can guide you through them to keep you moving forward. For students already familiar with the Congressional App Challenge process, private tutoring sessions can provide targeted technical assistance.
The best way to learn how to create a winning app for the Congressional App Challenge is to hear from past winners. Over the past several years, we’ve hosted many of them, and here are some key highlights and quick tips they’ve shared:
Check out these videos featuring past winners for more tips:
Great question! We highly recommend students start with learning foundational skills. But they can do Congressional App Challenge any time to experience it and test out their ideas. Over time, they can build more advanced apps and have a high chance of winning.
No, you can submit your app directly on the Congressional App Challenge website. However, our classes are designed to help students build high-quality projects and guide them through the iterative process of solving real-world problems and app development. Classes can also assist with answering technical questions that arise.
