Hatch Guard wins Rep. David Kustoff’s 2025 Congressional App Challenge in Tennessee’s Eighth District
Rep. David Kustoff has named Jiyaa Shri Loganathan, Anjana Arunprakash, and Vedha Arun of White Station Middle School as the winners of the 2025 Congressional App Challenge in Tennessee’s Eighth District. Their app Hatch Guard monitors real-time temperature data from incubator sensors to ensure optimal conditions for bird egg incubation.
When asked what inspired the creation of Hatch Guard, the students said, “We were inspired to create this app after noticing how challenging it can be to maintain consistent temperature levels in bird egg incubators. Even minor fluctuations can affect hatch success. We wanted to design a simple yet reliable solution that uses real-time sensor data and smart alerts to help users monitor and protect their eggs effortlessly. This app combines our interest in IoT (Internet of Things) technology with a practical need in bird breeding.”
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.