PillPOW wins Rep. Neal Dunn’s 2025 Congressional App Challenge in Florida’s Second District
Rep. Neal Dunn has named Akshat Sharma, David Suo, and Alex Wang of Lawton Chiles High School and Maclay Upper School as the winners of the 2025 Congressional App Challenge in Florida’s Second District. Their app PillPOW helps seniors manage their medications safely and easily.
When asked what inspired the creation of PillPOW, the students said, “We were inspired to create this app after learning how widespread and serious medication non-adherence is around the world. Studies show that nearly half of all patients don’t take their medications as prescribed, leading to poor health outcomes and preventable complications. The World Health Organization reports that in developed countries, only about 50% of people with chronic illnesses follow their medication plans correctly, and in developing regions, adherence rates are often even lower due to limited access to care and education. In the U.S. alone, the CDC estimates that medication non-adherence causes around 125,000 deaths and 10% of hospitalizations every year. Realizing that this issue costs lives and billions of dollars in avoidable medical expenses inspired me to build a solution that helps people stay on track with their medications and take better control of their health.”
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.