ReliefNet wins Rep. Scott Franklin’s 2025 Congressional App Challenge in Florida’s 18th District
Rep. Scott Franklin has named Tej Desai of International Baccalaureate Bartow High School as the winner of the 2025 Congressional App Challenge in Florida’s 18th District. Their app ReliefNet is a disaster response app that connects people with nearby first responders and relief organizations during natural disasters such as hurricanes, floods, or even wildfires.
When asked what inspired the creation of ReliefNet, Tej Desai said, “I was born and raised in Lakeland, Florida, and as a result, I have experienced the hardships that come after hurricanes and severe storms. Instead of people coming together during these hard times, it ends up pushing them away. I have seen people in my community, including my friends, go days and even weeks without proper assistance after hurricanes. On the other hand, some people would receive help within a couple of hours after the disaster. Thus, I began to think about why this happened and realized that people can only help you if you let them know. Hence, this inspired me to create ReliefNet and decrease poor coordination and communication among responders. ReliefNet is a system that allows for disaster response to be more efficient.”
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.