The Congressional App Challenge - Appathon

Do you like to design and make things? Are you inspired by the power of technology to create and build the world around you?

If so, the Office of Congresswoman Suzan DelBene wants to see you in action! We’re looking for creative thinkers like you to join us at this special hackathon to get you started on your Congressional App Challenge project. High school students of all skill levels are welcome!

Join us in the Beardslee Building on the UW Bothell campus as we build mobile apps, eat snacks, compete for prizes and meet new people who share your love of technology. We will have mentors from local tech firms at the event to help teams throughout the weekend.

The Congressional App Challenge (CAC) is a competition aimed at encouraging U.S. high school students to learn how to code by creating their own applications. The Challenge is intended to highlight the value of computer science and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) education and encourage students to engage in these fields. By encouraging and recognizing our nation’s young programming talent, Congress hopes to shine a light on the growing importance of these skills.

Note: This is a special event geared towards high school students in districts that are participating in the 2018 Congressional App Challenge. Find out if your district is participating! If you are a member of the tech community and would like to mentor a team, please contact the office of Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (425-485-0085) and ask for Jaren Walker. 

What to Bring:

Your laptop, skills and ideas. Come with a collaborative, team-focused mindset and/or team-up in advance with other students. Whether you like to write code, create visuals or are just interested in technology, you are invited to attend this event. Every group needs a good balance of talent and your skills are needed to build the best app!

What We Supply:

There will be quick presentations to launch the kick off and libraries of free code samples will be available to help kick start your hacking. We will provide food to keep you going and caffeine to keep you awake. Technical mentors will be available to assist you in building faster, smarter and with new tools. 

Prep for Success

Get a head start by checking out these awesome technologies from our sponsors. Knowing how the technologies work will allow you to hit the ground running at the hackathon.

• Download the Android Developer Kit. Check out the Getting Started Tutorials!
• Get started with Scaphold for free. Check out the documentation for starter kits and tutorials!
• Kickstart your learning with free app development courses from Microsoft Virtual Academy!

Event Schedule:

Day 1

• 12PM - Doors open for registration and check-in
• 1PM - Event kickoff and featured speakers
• 2PM - Pitch ideas and form teams
• 5PM - Dinner is served
• 8PM - Day 1 finishes

Day 2

• 10AM - Breakfast is served. Work with the teams from Day 1 to complete your app. Mentors will be available throughout the day to help you code your solution.
• 12PM - Deadline for team registration, keep coding!
• 12:30PM - Lunch is served
• 2PM - CODE FREEZE! Pitches start promptly at 2PM and are limited to three (3) minutes per team. PowerPoint presentations are not recommended!

Prizes:

Prizes to be announced.

Judging Criteria:

Apps will be judged based on the criteria below:

1. Quality of the idea (including creativity and originality)
2. Implementation of the idea
3. Demonstrated excellence of coding and programming skills

Have questions about The Congressional App Challenge - Hackathon? Contact The Office of Congresswoman Suzan DelBene