WASHINGTON (Aug. 26, 2016)—Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (MD-5) announced the launch of the third annual Congressional App Challenge for high school students in Maryland's Fifth Congressional District.
Established by the U.S. House of Representatives in 2013, this competition is a nationwide event that invites students from all participating Congressional districts to compete, either individually or in a group of up to four, by creating and presenting an original software application, or "app," for a mobile, tablet, or computer platform of their choice. The contest, modeled off the long-successful Congressional Art Competition, is designed to promote innovation and engagement in the STEM education fields. The winning individual or team will be recognized at an awards ceremony with Congressman Hoyer, featured on Hoyer.house.gov and CongressionalAppChallenge.us, and the winning app will be placed on display in the U.S. Capitol alongside winners from across the country.
For the first time there is an award of $50,000 in Amazon Web Services (AWS) credits that can be used for AWS cloud computing services, to be split by the winners across the country. Depending on the number of districts that end up participating, the Maryland Fifth District winner could receive around $200-$300 of this prize. This award will provide students with the resources they need to keep pursuing their skills long after the challenge ends.
"I'm excited to launch our third annual App Challenge, which has been a terrific showcase of the innovative students that we have in the Fifth District," said Congressman Hoyer. "We continue to see significant growth in computer programming job opportunities, which are well-paying jobs that allow people to Make It In America and here in Maryland. Unfortunately, we also continue to see shortages of computer science graduates, especially among women and minorities, and we must do everything we can to address that skills gap. The Congressional App Competition seeks to do so by encouraging students to get hands-on experience building apps."
The Congressional App Challenge is open to all high school students who live in or are eligible to attend public schools located in Maryland's Fifth Congressional District. Students entering the competition must submit source code along with a YouTube or VIMEO video that explains and demonstrates their app and what they learned through the competition process.
Participating students are encouraged to register and begin work on their projects as soon as possible, as the final submission deadline is November 2, 2016. Students are also encouraged to chronicle their progress on social media using the hashtag #CAC16.
More details on registering, submitting a contest entry, the rules of the competition, and helpful programming resources can be found here or at CongressionalAppChallenge.us.