Congress Invites Students Nationwide to Compete in Largest-Ever Congressional App Challenge
WASHINGTON, DC — Today, Congress launched the 2025 Congressional App Challenge with a record-breaking number of congressional offices and students already signed up to participate. This marks the beginning of the largest Challenge in the program’s history.
More than 330 Members of Congress, representing all 50 states, have committed to host district-wide competitions this year. Over 3,700 students have already pre-registered to compete. These milestones make the 2025 App Challenge one of the most expansive and bipartisan initiatives ever organized on Capitol Hill.
Students are invited to submit original apps they have built over the past school year. The Challenge encourages creativity, technical skill, and the use of technology to solve real-world problems. Each participating Member of Congress will host a local competition and select a winning app from their district.
“Today, Congress is launching its most ambitious and wide-reaching App Challenge yet,” said Joe Alessi, Executive Director of the Congressional App Challenge. “This will be our largest Challenge to date, and momentum is still building. The scale of this year’s launch reflects just how deeply Congress is investing in the next generation of American technologists.”
Since its launch in 2015, more than 70,000 students have participated in the Congressional App Challenge. This growing community of young coders reflects the Challenge’s mission to inspire the next generation of American technologists and expand access to computer science education in every corner of the country.
The Challenge also introduces new bipartisan Co-chairs for 2025: Rep. Brett Guthrie (KY-02) and Rep. Kim Schrier (WA-08). Together, they will lead efforts to expand access to computer science education and inspire students from every background to explore technology careers.
With its hands-on approach to learning and strong support from both sides of the aisle, the Congressional App Challenge has become the premier national initiative for student engagement in computer science. As participation continues to grow, the Challenge helps shape a more innovative future for American STEM.
To learn more or register, visit www.CongressionalAppChallenge.us.