The Ultimate Guide to the Congressional App Challenge
Apr 6, 2024
John Doe
As we all know, the Congressional App Challenge is an EXCELLENT way to convert your app-development skills and motivation to change the world into prestigious recognition from the United States Congress.
However, winning it can be extremely difficult; in this post, we'll discuss the key strategies to conquer the competition in the United States' most prestigious computer science competition for high schoolers.
1. Find the right advisor Finding an advisor, teacher, or mentor to aid you in the development of your app is crucial to your success.
Advisors can help film and edit your video, provide testimonials for your submission, and bridge any technical errors that you're unable to solve.
If you've participated science fairs other than the Congressional App Challenge, this video is relevant to your cause: https://www. youtube. com/watch?v=tKmS4UZbfII When looking for a mentor, there are a few key things to look for: Do they have computer science and/or video production experience?
Have they participated in other competitions or made other apps?
Do they have a story that revolves around a societal issue?
The last point is extremely important as it allows you to move on to the next step-
- finding the right idea.
2. Brainstorm a problem-solving idea Societal impact, societal impact, societal impact.
Having a true, meaningful app that solves the issue that was brought up in your advisor's story is the way to winning.
While judges look for other things, you have to remember that they are assistants of a government official, and solving society's issues is the key to their hearts.
This is a elementary example and you should try to find something more meaningful, but if your advisor's children dislike particular healthy foods, the problem-solving app idea would be to develop an app that showcases the benefits of the foods in a child-friendly manner.
3. Have technical complexity to some degree Using more complex frameworks such as Flutter or React Native looks more promising to judges, as opposed to simple applications like MIT App Inventor.
In addition to this, incorporating advanced topics like image processing and artificial intelligence into your app can impress judges and showcase another category of the Congressional App Challenge rubric guide: technical knowledge.
This, when paired with your societal impact, can finally make you prepared to film your video.
4. Film your submission video Finally, film at the right angle in a well-lit environment with you and your team members.
Discuss the issue that your advisor brought up, the advanced computer science topics that you used, the 21st century skills that you learned, and the leadership structure of your app.
Showcase the usage of the app while roleplaying the typical user.
If you've followed this guide to a tee, then you have a solid chance at winning the Congressional App challenge!.