BudgetQuest wins Rep. Hakeem Jeffries’ 2025 Congressional App Challenge in New York’s Eighth District
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries has named Jefferson Xu of Midwood High School as the winner of the 2025 Congressional App Challenge in New York’s Eighth District. Their app BudgetQuest is an interactive simulation game meant to teach users how to manage their budget correctly.
When asked what inspired the creation of BudgetQuest, Jefferson Xu said, “A while ago, I was in an internship with a stipend. One of the teachers asked what my group wanted to do with it. But what he got back was a bunch of ‘I don’t know‚’ and ‘I’ll decide later‚’ and I was no different. When I got my internship stipend, I didn’t know what to do with the money. I spent it all in one place buying new clothes, and didn’t save any for when I truly needed the money, like school supplies and senior dues. Based on that experience, I knew I wanted to make something to teach budgeting in an interactive and engaging way. I wanted something truly memorable, interesting, and engaging enough to hold attention. My goal is to spread awareness about budgeting and to give users the knowledge and tools to avoid making the same mistake I did.”
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.