Each fall, a nation-wide middle and high school STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) competition is sponsored by the Members of the U.S. House of Representatives. The Congressional App Challenge is an opportunity to recognize and encourage the STEM talent across the nation, as well as in our Congressional District. Each participating Member of Congress will name a winner to represent their district.

The Congressional App Challenge is open to all middle and high school students in our District.

The winning app of our district’s competition may be eligible to be featured in the U.S. Capitol, receive a Copyright Fee Waiver provided through the ARTS Act, be featured on the Congressional App Challenge webpage, and receive an invitation to attend a winner’s celebration at the U.S. Capitol called #HouseOfCode. The winning app is also featured on House.gov’s Congressional App Challenge page.

The 2026 Congressional App Challenge is now open. Students must register and submit their apps by 12:00 p.m. ET on Monday, October 26, 2026.

The following is a summary of the Congressional App Challenge rules:

Eligibility Criteria

• AGE: Students must be enrolled in middle school or high school on October 26, 2026.
• LOCATION: Students are only allowed to compete in a Congressional District which is hosting an App Challenge. Students may compete in either the district in which they reside, or the district in which they attend school. Participants may compete only in one single district. There is no citizenship requirement, but all students competing in the Congressional App Challenge must be U.S. residents.
• TEAMS: Students can compete as individuals, or in teams of up to four (4) students.
• Any team with more than four (4) students is not eligible to compete.
• At least half of teammates on any team must live or attend school in the same Congressional District.
• PRIOR PROJECTS: Students may submit any app they’ve created after October 30, 2025. If submitting a 2.0 version of an app, only the new coding should be highlighted for consideration.
• ONE ENTRY PER PERSON PER YEAR: Students may only submit ONE app per year. Multiple entries across multiple teams is not allowed.

App Parameters

• TOPIC: The app can be about any topic.
• PLATFORM: The app can be developed for any platform, including web apps, desktop/PC apps, mobile apps, web browser extensions, robots, augmented reality, virtual reality, wearable devices, smart devices, and embedded systems.
• PROGRAMMING LANGUAGE: Use any programming language: C/C++, Objective C, C#, Java, JavaScript, Python, Ruby, PHP, Swift, “block code,” etc.
• FUNCTIONALITY: The app must have some degree of functionality to be competitive.
• ORIGINALITY: The app must be original and solely created by the contestant. All coding and technical development must be completed by the student or student team. Open-source libraries, frameworks, and external tools may be used, but their use must be clearly documented, and the project must demonstrate significant personal effort and technical understanding.
• AI USAGE: Students may use AI tools to support specific aspects of their app development, provided that all AI use is fully disclosed. AI may not constitute the entirety of the technical development, and students must demonstrate significant personal contribution and technical understanding.

If you would like more information on the annual Congressional App Challenge, please review the complete 2026 rules, or register and submit your app.