CanScreen wins Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez’s 2025 Congressional App Challenge in Washington’s Third District
Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez has named Alyssa Wong, Chloe Luo, and Liya Zhao of Camas High School as the winners of the 2025 Congressional App Challenge in Washington’s Third District. Their app CanScreen helps clear up cancer screening guidelines and provides well-organized and interactively presented information about cancer.
When asked what inspired the creation of CanScreen, the students said, “We regularly encounter news articles and have heard personal stories from family members of people who seemed young and healthy but were diagnosed with advanced cancer because it was caught too late. The phrase ‘If only we had found out sooner’ always seems to arise. And they’re right: earlier diagnosis generally means better prognosis. However, not only do patients lack communication with doctors, often due to doctors’ busy schedules, but they also lack knowledge about cancer and cancer screening. Before they undergo the process, CanScreen can act as a private and accessible way to ease them into learning about the details of cancer screening, its importance, current screening guidelines, and the latest developments in cancer research.”
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.