Update:

House App Challenge for High School Students

The contest is now closed.  Thank you for your entry and good luck during the evaluation and judging phase of the contest.   As a reminder, each Representative will independently evaluate the entries and select the winners for his or her district. 

A few Representatives have elected to extend the competition deadline for the students in their district.   Your Representative should have already contacted you directly if they elected to extend the competition.   This Challenge Post site will continue to accept entries until May 31st at 11:59 PM to accommodate students in districts where the contest has been extended.   For all others, the contest is now closed.   Contact your Representatives directly if you have any questions about the deadline or the process for evaluating entries.   

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This year marks the first annual Congressional Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Academic Competition, the “House Student App Challenge.”  This new challenge is designed to engage student’s creativity and encourage their participation in STEM education fields.  Established by Members of the U.S. House of Representatives in 2013, this challenge is a nationwide event that allows high school students from across the country to learn by creating and exhibiting their software application, or “app,” for mobile, tablet, or computer devices on a platform of their choice.  Throughout the challenge period, participating students will be provided opportunities to engage with various STEM educational partners located within the community to mentor and assist them with their app development. 

The “House Student App Challenge” is open to all high school students in participating districts. Students entering the competition must submit their app’s source code online during the Competition Submission Period between 12 PM Eastern Standard Time on FEBRUARY 1ST, 2014, and 11:59 PM Eastern Daylight Time on APRIL 30TH, 2014, as well as provide a YouTube or VIMEO video demo explaining their app and what they learned through this competition process.

 

This year marks the first annual Congressional Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Academic Competition, the “House Student App Challenge.”  This new challenge is designed to engage student’s creativity and encourage their participation in STEM education fields.  Established by Members of the U.S. House of Representatives in 2013, this challenge is a nationwide event that allows high school students from across the country to learn by creating and exhibiting their software application, or “app,” for mobile, tablet, or computer devices on a platform of their choice.  Throughout the challenge period, participating students will be provided opportunities to engage with various STEM educational partners located within the community to mentor and assist them with their app development.  

The “House Student App Challenge” is open to all high school students in participating districts. Students entering the competition must submit their documentation online during the Competition Submission Period between 12 PM Eastern Standard Time on FEBRUARY 1ST, 2014, and 12 PM Eastern Daylight Time on APRIL 30TH, 2014, as well as provide a YouTube or VIMEO video demo explaining their app and what they learned through this competition process.

Eligibility

  1. The Challenge is open only to high school students who reside in a participating district or who are eligible to attend public high school in that district.  Individuals submitting on behalf of teams must meet the eligibility requirements for individual Contestants.

  2. Participants must be at least 13 years old as of February 1, 2014.

  3. Participants may compete individually or in teams of up to 4 students. If students attend school outside of their home congressional district, they may compete in either their home district or their school district. If competing as a team, 2 members of the team must be from the same district.

  4. The Challenge is subject to all applicable United States federal laws and regulations. Participation constitutes entrant’s full and unconditional agreement to these Official Rules.

Requirements

  1. Each Contestant will be required to provide the following as part of the Submission:

  • A link to the Application Demonstration Video.  ChallengePost supports YouTube or VIMEO.  Please note that your entry may be judged in its entirety based on this video.  It is important to demonstrate the scope and quality of your application in this video.  No more than two minutes in length.

  • A link to the Developer Video.  ChallengePost supports YouTube or VIMEO.  The participant will describe how they created the app and what they learned.  No more than one minute in length.

  • An entry form

  • A release form signed by a parent or guardian

Hackathon Sponsors

Prizes

District Winner

Display of winning app video on House.GOV, Certificate of Excellence.

Honorable Mention

Each Member will award additional certificates based on their criteria for other finalists.

Devpost Achievements

Submitting to this hackathon could earn you:

How to enter

Each Member of Congress determines if they will hold a competition in their district in 2014.  This challenge is open to high school students age 13 or older who live or are eligible to attend public high school in the Congressional district of a participating Member.  

To determine if your residence or school is in a participating district go to http://studentappchallenge.house.gov/ and enter your home or school address.   If your Member is participating the site will take you to a page to register with the Member's Office.

 

Judges

Appointed by participating Members of Congress

Appointed by participating Members of Congress
Each participating Member of Congress will appoint judges for their contest. Please contact your Member’s office for this information.

Judging Criteria

  • Quality of the Idea
    Entries will be judged on quality including creativity and originality.
  • Implementation
    Implementation of the idea (including user experience and design.
  • Programming Skill
    Demonstrated excellence of coding and programming skills. Note: Members may elect to have a design only portion of the contest. In that case entries will be judged on the first two criteria. Contact your Member to see if this option is available.

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