Hoyer Announces Second Annual Congressional App Challenge for Fifth District High School Students

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (MD-5) announced the launch of the second 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 in 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.

"This is an extraordinary opportunity for the brilliant and innovative students that we have in the Fifth District and I'm excited to help foster their interest in computer science," said Congressman Hoyer."We know that in the coming years we will 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 expect to see continued shortages of computer science graduates and we must do everything we can to address that critical challenge. The Congressional App Competition seeks to do so by encouraging students to explore the field of computer science."

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 January 15, 2016.  Students are also encouraged to chronicle their progress using the hashtag #CAC15.

More details on registering, submitting a contest entry, the rules of the competition, and helpful programming resources can be found here or atCongressionalAppChallenge.us.