The Winning Student’s Work Will be Displayed in the U.S. Capitol Building and Shared Online

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Representative Abigail Spanberger today invited middle and high school students in Virginia’s Seventh District to compete in the annual Congressional App Challenge. Registration for this year’s competition opens tomorrow, June 15, 2022.

The competition is an annual opportunity for young people in participating congressional districts across the country to get hands-on practice with coding and computer science. Students are invited to sharpen their skills, push their creativity in STEM disciplines, and begin envisioning their future career — with an emphasis on including and inspiring students from communities that are underrepresented in the tech industry. The winner’s work will be displayed in the U.S. Capitol later this year and shared on the U.S. House of Representatives’ website.

“Our democracy is strengthened by our STEM innovators, whose crucial work betters government agencies, protects our national security, and grows our economy. As the problems we face as a nation grow more complex, we will need this next generation of students to use their coding and computer science skills to push America forward,” said Spanberger.  “Many Virginia students do not see pioneers in the STEM community who look like them or have their backgrounds — but we can change that by inspiring all students to aim for successful careers in the field. We can make strides so that discouragement is not a reason for incredible ideas to go unshared. I strongly encourage all interested Seventh District students to submit their work.”

Students may register and submit an app from June 15, 2022 to November 1, 2022. More information on the competition rules, eligibility, and submission process can be found on Spanberger’s website.

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