Ripple wins Rep. Terri A. Sewell’s 2025 Congressional App Challenge in Alabama’s Seventh District
Rep. Terri A. Sewell has named Dinah Henkin and Greeshma Vinoy of Alabama School of Fine Arts as the winners of the 2025 Congressional App Challenge in Alabama’s Seventh District. Their app Ripple is designed to support and protect Alabama’s river ecosystems.
When asked what inspired the creation of Ripple, the students said, “The creation of Ripple was inspired by the intense pollution in the Cahaba and Black Warrior rivers. Both of these rivers are essential to Alabama’s communities and ecosystems. Notably, the Cahaba River provides drinking water for Birmingham and Tuscaloosa, so any pollution directly impacts the health of residents. Additionally, the Black Warrior River supports hydroelectric power, helping supply electricity to these cities. In recent years, increased pollution has harmed water quality, leading to dying vegetation and forcing native wildlife to leave in search of cleaner habitats. We were inspired to create Ripple as an easy-to-use tool that empowers anyone, regardless of their experience level, to help monitor and protect these rivers.”
The 2025 Congressional App Challenge marked another record-setting year for the program. A total of 394 Members of the U.S. House of Representatives hosted App Challenges in their congressional districts, the highest level of participation in the program’s history. More than 13,800 students from across the country participated, submitting over 4,600 original apps focused on real-world challenges ranging from health and accessibility to education, sustainability, and civic engagement.
The Congressional App Challenge is an official initiative of the U.S. House of Representatives that encourages middle school and high school students to learn to code, explore computer science, and build practical technology solutions for their communities. Each participating Member of Congress selects a winning app from their district, and winning teams are invited to showcase their projects to Members of Congress, staff, and industry leaders at the annual #HouseOfCode celebration on Capitol Hill.
The Challenge is proudly bipartisan and reflects a shared commitment to expanding access to STEM education and preparing the next generation of American innovators for the future workforce. The program is a public-private partnership made possible through funding from the Broadcom Foundation, AWS, Infosys Foundation USA, theCoderSchool, Apple, and others.
The 2026 Congressional App Challenge will launch in May, and eligible students can pre-register for the competition now.