Congressional Competitions
App Challenge
The Congressional App Challenge is a competition designed to teach students how to code, either individually or in a group setting, and inspire them to pursue careers in computer science. The competition is a nationwide challenge that allows middle and high school students from across the country to compete by creating a unique app on a platform of their choice.
The Congressional App Challenge is open to all middle and high school students who live in and all those who attend middle or high school in Florida's 10th Congressional District. Students may work individually or in teams of up to four. All entries must be original in concept, design, and execution using any platform of their choosing.
REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN
THE COMPETITION DEADLINE FOR 2024 IS OCTOBER 24, 2024
Link to Register: https://www.congressionalappchallenge.us/students/student-registration/
The winner will be chosen by a panel of expert judges and will be featured on CongessionalAppChallenge.us and will also be eligible to be on display in the U.S. Capitol with other winners from across the country.
For more information, please see the rules and guidelines below, visit CongressionalAppChallenge.us, or contact our office.
Website: https://www.congressionalappchallenge.us/
Eligibility and Rules
STUDENTS CAN USE ANY PROGRAMMING LANGUAGE (example: C, C++, JavaScript, Python, Ruby, “block code,” etc.) and ANY PLATFORM (PC, web, tablet, robot, mobile, etc.). There are NO LIMITS on application theme or topic!
To be eligible to participate in the Congressional App Challenge, you must be a middle or high school student at the time of app submission.
Students may register as individuals or as teams of up to four. No more than four students are allowed to form a team.
Students may compete in the district they reside in or the district they attend school in.
If competing as a team, at least half of the teammates must be eligible to compete in the district in which they are participating in.
Our office encourages you to visit the Congressional App Challenge's website, and read the full set of rules.
Resources
35% of challenge participants in 2022 described themselves as coding beginners! Check out some resources below, and visit the Congressional App Challenge's official Learn to Code page for more!
- MIT App Inventor: http://appinventor.mit.edu/explore/index-2.html
- StackOverflow: https://stackoverflow.com/
- Code.org: https://code.org/
- Khan Academy: https://www.khanacademy.org/
- Scratch: https://scratch.mit.edu/
- Thunkable: https://thunkable.com/#/
- Girls Who Code: https://girlswhocode.com/
App Challenge FAQ's
- What is the Congressional App Challenge?
Established by Members of the U.S. House of Representatives in 2013, the Congressional App Challenge is a nationwide event that invites middle and high school students to compete by creating and exhibiting their software application, or "app," for mobile, tablet, or computer devices on a platform of their choice. The competition is designed to engage the creativity of students and encourage their participation in computer science. - Who can participate?
High school and middle school students who live in or are eligible to attend public schools located in Florida's 10th Congressional District can participate. To confirm your eligibility, please visit http://www.congressionalappchallenge.us. - What if I don't live in Florida's 10th Congressional District?
Please check if your district is participating and reach out to your representative. We are unable to accept submissions from students who do not reside or attend school in our district. - Can homeschooled students participate?
Yes. Any middle school or high school student who lives in Florida's 10th Congressional District or is eligible to attend public school in the district can compete. - Can students submit in teams?
Yes. The maximum team size is four students, two of whom must reside in or be eligible to attend public high school in Florida's 10th Congressional District. - When can I register and how can I submit my entry?
Now. Participating students must register on http://www.congressionalappchallenge.us. All entries must be original in concept, design, and execution. - How will my app be judged?
Apps will be judged based on the following criteria: Quality of the idea, including creativity and originality; implementation of the idea, including user experience and design; and demonstrated excellence of coding and programming skills. - What if I have a question that isn't listed on this list of FAQs?
- Please reach out to our office or visit http://www.congressionalappchallenge.us
Art Competition
THE SUBMISSION DEADLINE FOR THE 2024 ART COMPETITION HAS PASSED.
INTERESTED OR PLANNING TO SUBMIT ARTWORK? PLEASE FILL OUT THIS FORM.
SUBMIT FORM AND ART WORK TO ArtChallenge.Frost@mail.house.gov
THE COMPETITION DEADLINE FOR 2025 WILL BE ANNOUNCED SPRING 2025
Each spring, a nation-wide high school arts competition is sponsored by the Members of the U.S. House of Representatives. The Artistic Discovery Contest is an opportunity to recognize and encourage the artistic talent in the nation, as well as in our Congressional District.
The Artistic Discovery Contest is open to all high school students in our District. The winning artwork of our district's competition will be displayed for one year in the U.S. Capitol. The exhibit in Washington will include the winning artwork from all participating districts from around the country. The winning artwork is also featured on House.gov's Congressional Art Competition page.
This year's theme is leading with creativity.
Bold, transformative change for a better world takes creativity. Let your artistic imagination soar as you showcase the impact of leading with creativity and join us in shaping a future filled with the colors of creativity!
The following is a summary of the Congressional Art Competition rules:
Artwork entered in the contest may be up to 28 inches by 28 inches, may be up to 4 inches in depth, and not weigh more than 15 pounds. If your artwork is selected as the winning piece, it must arrive framed and must still measure no larger than the above maximum dimensions.
- Paintings - including oil, acrylics, and watercolor
- Drawings - including pastels, colored pencil, pencil, charcoal, ink, and markers (It is recommended that charcoal and pastel drawings be fixed.)
- Collages - must be two dimensional
- Prints - including lithographs, silkscreen, and block prints
- Mixed Media - use of more than two mediums such as pencil, ink, watercolor, etc.
- Computer-generated art
- Photography
All entries must be original in concept, design and execution and may not violate any U.S. copyright laws. Any entry that has been copied from an existing photo or image (including a painting, graphic, or advertisement) that was created by someone other than the student is a violation of the competition rules and will not be accepted. Work entered must be in the original medium (that is, not a scanned reproduction of a painting or drawing).
The rules, checklist, and release form for the competition are scheduled to be posted in early February on House.gov.
How to submit. All art participants must:
- Only submit one art piece.
- Adhere to the rules above for consideration as a finalist.
- Be a resident of Florida’s 10th Congressional District (Call or Check on House.gov for confirmation)
- Complete this form and take a high resolution picture of your art submisison and submit it by April 8th, 2024 to Artchallenge.Frost@mail.house.gov
For any additional questions, please email: Artchallenge.Frost@mail.house.gov or call 321-388-9808