Youth Policy Pulse wins Rep. Don Bacon’s 2025 Congressional App Challenge in Nebraska’s Second District
Rep. Don Bacon has named Gavin Vernon and Michael Zhang of Omaha Brownell Talbot College Preparatory School and Cherry Creek High School as the winners of the 2025 Congressional App Challenge in Nebraska’s Second District. Their app Youth Policy Pulse is a civic-engagement web application that empowers young people to understand and participate in the policy-making process.
When asked what inspired the creation of Youth Policy Pulse, the students said, “Youth Policy Pulse was inspired by our shared belief that young people deserve a stronger voice in shaping the policies that affect their lives. As students deeply involved in youth leadership and civic initiatives, we often noticed that many of our peers wanted to participate in government but didn’t know where to start. The legislative process felt distant, complicated, and inaccessible. We wanted to change that.”
“Together, we created Youth Policy Pulse to bridge the gap between young citizens and their government—transforming curiosity into action through technology. Our app makes real legislation accessible, interactive, and engaging, empowering students everywhere to understand, discuss, and influence the policies shaping their future.”
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.