Epidemic Wars: The 2100 Era wins Rep. Rick Larsen’s 2025 Congressional App Challenge in Washington’s Second District
Rep. Rick Larsen has named Dylan Pham and Henry Pham of Explorer Middle School as the winners of the 2025 Congressional App Challenge in Washington’s Second District. Their app Epidemic Wars: The 2100 Era is a fun strategy defense game that turns the immune system into an exciting battle.
When asked what inspired the creation of Epidemic Wars: The 2100 Era, the students said, “One of us has always been fascinated by the immune system, and we both love the game Plants vs. Zombies, so we decided to mix science with strategy. After seeing stories about kids getting sick because of vaccine misinformation, we wanted to make something that could actually help. We thought: what if learning about immunity could feel like playing a game? That’s how Epidemic Wars was born. We hope it helps players understand how vaccines protect us and feel more confident about science.”
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.