Congresswoman Grace Meng is encouraging local middle school and high school students interested in coding and computer science to enter her congressional app competition.
Meng’s contest is part of the national 2022 Congressional App Challenge, a nationwide contest held by the House of Representatives in which students compete by creating and exhibiting an app for mobile, tablet or computer devices on a platform of their choice.
“The Congressional App Challenge is an exceptional and exciting opportunity for local students to showcase their coding and tech skills and compete for a winning spot on the national stage,” Meng said. “I look forward to seeing the different apps that students submit and highlighting the great creativity and tech talent that exists in our communities. I am proud to participate in this year’s competition, and wish the best of luck to all the students who enter.”
The winner of Meng’s competition, and the winners in all participating congressional districts throughout the country, will be invited to the #HouseOfCode reception, a special gathering on Capitol Hill where they will showcase their apps to members of Congress.
All of the winners from each contest will also be eligible to have their winning app displayed in the U.S. Capitol and featured on the U.S. House of Representatives’ official website, which has approximately 10 million visitors per year.
The deadline to submit an app for the contest is Tuesday, Nov. 1.
Participants may compete individually or in teams of up to four students. Each must submit a demo YouTube video of their app and explain its purpose, intended audience, how it works and the tools and coding language that were used to create it.
All entries must be original in concept, design and execution and any programming language, platform or theme can be used.
The winner of Meng’s contest, which will be selected by a panel of local judges, will be announced in December.
The #HouseOfCode reception will be held in the spring of 2023. All local students who take part in Meng’s competition will receive a certificate of congressional recognition. Those who participate must reside in or attend school in Meng’s district. If competing as teams, half must be eligible.
The winner of Meng’s 2021 contest was Nickolas Koe from Townsend Harris High School in Flushing. Koe won for his app entitled “StudyCoordinator” which he created to help himself and other students organize and focus on schoolwork during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The details and YouTube video of his app can be viewed here.
To compete, students must register for the contest. For additional information and guidelines about the competition, click here.
