Emotion Detection Analysis and Reflection App wins Rep. Barry Loudermilk’s 2023 Congressional App Challenge in Georgia’s 11th District

Rep. Loudermilk has named Aiden Gilmore, David Wu, and Ethan Konnick of Mount Paran Christian School as the winners of the 2023 Congressional App Challenge in Georgia’s 11th District.

When asked what inspired the creation of Emotion Detection Analysis and Reflection App, the students said, “For our robotics team, we recently learned machine learning to detect objects on the playing field. With this, we wanted to create an app that utilizes the concept of machine learning but in a way that is creatively unique to the user. Similarly, many of the filters on apps like Snapchat are static and don’t change based on the environment they are in. We decided to innovate to make a filter that reflects the emotional feelings of the user and responds with personal writing similar to a digital diary.”

This year’s Challenge saw an unprecedented level of participation, with 374 Members of the House of Representatives hosting competitions, surpassing the previous record of 340. A remarkable 11,334 students from across the United States competed in this year’s Challenge, marking an impressive increase of nearly 1,000 participants compared to the previous record set in 2019. The enthusiasm and creativity these students display is a testament to the growing interest in technology and signal a bright future for American innovation. The surge of ingenuity continued with a whopping 3,645 original applications flooding in, nearly a thousand more than the previous year’s high. This remarkable growth showcases the exceptional talent and innovation within our nation’s youth.


The Congressional App Challenge is an official initiative of the U.S. House of Representatives, where Members of Congress host contests in their districts for middle school and high school students, encouraging them to learn to code and inspiring them to pursue careers in computer science. This resounding show of bipartisan support emphasizes the critical importance of STEM education in today’s rapidly evolving world. Each participating Member of Congress selects a winning app from their district, and each winning team is invited to showcase their winning app to Congress during our annual #HouseOfCode festival.