Rep. Larsen announces 2021 Congressional App Challenge is back

Annual Challenge open to all Middle and High School students who live or attend school in Second District 

EVERETT, WA – Today, Rep. Rick Larsen (WA-02) announced the launch of the 2021 Congressional App Challenge (CAC). The annual competition, which runs through Monday, November 1, is open to high school and middle school students who live in or attend school in Washington’s Second Congressional District.  

The Congressional App Challenge is an opportunity for students to create programs or apps for any platform, including desktop/PC, web and mobile, to collaborate, invent and learn coding and computer science skills. Students may compete as individuals or in teams of up to four. Students can only enter the competition once.  

“Washington state continues to be a leader in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics with more than 290,000 students enrolled in Career and Technical Education,” said Larsen, whose office has participated in the CAC every year since its founding in 2013. “I have seen the creativity of students in classrooms across Northwest Washington firsthand and look forward to seeing that creativity shine through in this year’s submissions.” 

Students can sign up to participate and read the full competition rules at https://www.congressionalappchallenge.us/students/. Students have until 9:00 a.m. PST on Monday, November 1, to register and enter, but CAC organizers recommend students register early to receive extra support and tips. Larsen will announce a district winner in December and invite the winner to the #HouseofCode Capitol Hill Reception in Washington D.C. at a future date. Winning apps will be electronically displayed in the U.S. Capitol and on the house.gov website 

More than 6,500 students from across the country registered for the 2020 Congressional App Challenge. Last year, Ethan Soh, a student at Kamiak High School in Mukilteo, won the district’s Congressional App Challenge with his app, “TransSnip.” TransSnip is a user-friendly way to read foreign languages from applications or documents and translate those words into a readable format.  

For more information on the CAC, visit https://www.congressionalappchallenge.us/. Additional questions can be directed to Kevin Phan in Larsen’s office at Kevin.Phan@mail.house.gov or 425-252-3188.