Congressional App Challenge

The Congressional App Challenge (CAC) is a public effort to encourage kids to learn how to code, through annual district-wide competitions hosted by Members of Congress for their district.

Students in districts which are hosting an App Challenge code original applications for the chance to be selected for recognition by their Member of Congress, win prizes, and have their work put on display in the Capitol Building in Washington, DC. The district-wide competitions, now in their third year, take place from July through early November. The CAC is executed by the Congressional staff of each district which hosts a Challenge, and coordinated by the Congressional Internet Caucus and the non-governmental sponsor of the project, the Internet Education Foundation.

The Congressional App Challenge’s mission is to inspire, include, and innovate efforts around STEM, coding, and computer science education:

Inspire: To inspire students from every corner of the country to explore STEM, coding and computer science through hands-on practice;

Include: To actively include and engage students from communities that are traditionally underrepresented in the tech community; and

Innovate: To innovate policy making by connecting Members of Congress to new and emerging technologies through personal interactions with their student constituents.