The Congressional App Challenge (CAC) is an official initiative of the U.S House of Representatives that inspires American students to pursue a passion for computer science through a series of local coding competitions. The CAC was created because Congress recognizes how essential computer science and STEM skills are for economic growth and innovation, and that the U.S. is currently experiencing a dearth of adequately trained technical talent. By some estimates, there are nearly a quarter of a million unfilled programming jobs in the U.S..

Each year, Members of Congress host annual Congressional App Challenges that are specific to their districts. CAC winners receive official recognition from their Member of Congress, and their app is displayed in the U.S. Capitol for one year.

The CAC aims to bridge the gender, geographic, and racial gaps in tech by building the domestic pipeline of future tech innovators. The program has inspired over 14,000 students across 49 states and territories to code over 4,000 apps for desktop PCs, web, tablets, mobiles or other platforms. Participant demographics for the 828 previous CAC's surpassed all tech industry diversity metrics. This year, 296 Members of Congress are hosting Congressional App Challenges for students in their district. read more