Mark September 19 for National App Challenge Day 🗓️
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Congressional App Challenge, the nation’s largest student coding competition, today announced that National App Challenge Day 2026 will take place on Saturday, September 19. Organized in partnership with the Broadcom Foundation, the nationwide observance will celebrate student achievement in computer science and encourage more young people to participate in the 2026 Congressional App Challenge, powered by Roblox.
National App Challenge Day creates a unified moment for Members of Congress, educators, technology leaders, and local communities to recognize the students building technology in their districts. It also serves as a nationwide call to action, connecting more middle and high school students with an opportunity to develop their skills, address challenges they care about, and represent their communities through code.
Throughout the day, Members of Congress across the country will spotlight local student innovators, promote the Challenge in their districts, and encourage students to complete and submit their projects this fall. The observance gives congressional offices, educators, and community organizations a coordinated opportunity to elevate student work and expand access to computer science education.
The centerpiece of this year’s observance will be the OC Half-Day CS Bootcamp: Kickstart Your App Challenge Entry, presented by the Congressional App Challenge and Broadcom Foundation at Discovery Cube in Santa Ana, California. The free workshop will take place from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. PT and welcome students from across Southern California, the Congressional App Challenge’s largest region for student participation.
Whether beginning with a new concept or improving an existing project, students will spend the afternoon building, coding, testing, and refining their apps with support from engineers, industry professionals, and Congressional App Challenge alumni. Participants will receive individualized feedback, explore modern development tools, including artificial intelligence, and hear from technology leaders about STEM careers, product development, and successful App Challenge projects. They will also have an opportunity to pitch their work to technology leaders and Members of Congress.
The workshop is designed to help students make measurable progress toward a submission. Participants will leave with a stronger project, a practical plan for completing it, and a Fall Congressional Coding Certificate for use on résumés and college applications.
“National App Challenge Day recognizes the remarkable student innovation taking place in congressional districts across the country,” said Joe Alessi, Program Director of the Congressional App Challenge. “This year, we are using the occasion to invest directly in students. Southern California is our largest region for student participation, and the Orange County bootcamp will connect students with the technical guidance, industry expertise, and congressional engagement that can help turn a promising idea into a strong App Challenge submission.”
Since its launch in 2015, the Congressional App Challenge has reached more than 85,000 students across all 50 states. Participants have created thousands of functional apps while building technical skills, addressing problems in their communities, and engaging directly with their Members of Congress. National App Challenge Day will place that work in the national spotlight and reinforce the importance of expanding access to computer science education.
About the Congressional App Challenge
The Congressional App Challenge is the official student STEM competition of the U.S. House of Representatives. Hosted annually by Members of Congress, the competition encourages middle and high school students to explore computer science and develop original coded projects. Since 2015, more than 85,000 students across all 50 states have participated, creating thousands of functional apps. The program continues to exceed industry diversity benchmarks and broaden access to computer science education.
For more information, visit www.CongressionalAppChallenge.us.