U.S. Representative Rodney L. Davis (IL - 13) issued the following announcement on June 24.
U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis (R-Ill.) announced the Congressional App Challenge is now open for middle and high school students throughout the 13th Congressional District. This initiative is to encourage student engagement in coding and other STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) related fields.
“I know how crucial these skills are and want to encourage students to engage in these fields,” said Davis. “By encouraging and recognizing our nation’s young programming talent, Congress hopes to shine a light on the growing importance of these skills.”
The 2021 Congressional App Challenge submission period opens June 24, 2021 and will close on November 1, 2021. The apps will be judged by a panel of local judges who work within the academic, software, and computer science fields. Winning apps are eligible to be displayed in the U.S. Capitol building and featured on the U.S. House of Representatives’ website, and winning students are invited to #HouseofCode Capitol Hill Reception in Washington D.C.
Students entering the competition should first register online. A student must currently be enrolled in middle or high school and either reside or attend school in the district. Students can compete in teams of up to four as long as at least two members are eligible to compete in the district. Once registered they must submit their app’s source code online by the deadline, as well as provide a video demo explaining their app and what they learned through this competition process.
For additional details, visit Davis' website, rodneydavis.house.gov, or contact his Champaign office at (217) 403-4690.
Background:
The CAC is an initiative launched by the U.S. House of Representatives in 2014 where Members of Congress host contests in their districts for middle school and high school students, encouraging them to learn to code and inspiring them to pursue careers in computer science. In the five years of the Congressional App Challenge, the program has yielded 1134 App Challenges across 49 states and territories. Thousands of functional apps have been created by over 25,000 students, and participant demographics surpass all industry diversity metrics.
Code At Home:
Across the country, COVID-19 has radically disrupted the academic year for students. The CAC has compiled additional resources for students through the Code at Home initiative. This web page is full of free resources that students can use to learn how to code from home. Students can use these resources to sharpen their coding skills, learn how to collaborate virtually, and build apps that seek to support and enrich their communities.
Original source can be found here.