ServeArizona wins Rep. Juan Ciscomani’s 2025 Congressional App Challenge in Arizona’s Sixth District
Rep. Juan Ciscomani has named Joshua Valdez of Cienega High School as the winner of the 2025 Congressional App Challenge in Arizona’s Sixth District. Their app ServeArizona connects volunteers with organizations, giving groups such as school clubs ways to track members’ hours in a verifiable way.
When asked what inspired the creation of ServeArizona, Joshua Valdez said, “I was inspired to create my app at a club meeting that had required volunteer hours. I noticed how much effort went into tracking these service hours and finding opportunities, and I wanted to make things easier for volunteers, group leaders, and organizations. I thought, ‘Why not an all-in-one platform where volunteers and organizations can connect and manage everything in one place?’ This way, volunteers can find service opportunities without extra effort; organizations don’t need to make flyers or unreliable methods to find volunteers; and group leaders can promote great opportunities for their members and track each member’s hours.”
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.