Voting4Teens wins Rep. Andy Harris’ 2024 Congressional App Challenge in Maryland’s First District
Rep. Andy Harris has named Folashewa Olaniyi and Pratish Rana of Edgewood High School as the winners of the 2024 Congressional App Challenge in Maryland’s First District.
When asked what inspired the creation of Voting4Teens, the students said, “During the beginning of our senior years, we were both in classes where teachers came and started talking about voting. While neither of us could officially vote by then, we heard our classmates become confused with the voting process. We wanted to become educated on the voting process so that, when we turned of age, we would be able to understand the process easily and help our classmates. At the same time, we also wondered about other schools that do not inform their students about the significance of voting and guide them through the process. As a result, we decided to create our app centered around guiding people how to vote, specifically the youth. Our aim is to present this website to seniors in our school who will be voting in this year’s election. We believe voting is an important part of being American as it is essentially our voice in society. We want our school and community to understand this as well and have available sources to educate themselves.”
This year’s Congressional App Challenge set new records, with an unprecedented 382 Members of the House of Representatives hosting competitions—surpassing the previous high of 374. An incredible 12,682 students from across the country participated, representing a growth of over 1,000 students compared to 2023. These talented students submitted an astounding 3,881 original applications, showcasing their creativity, passion for technology, and the limitless potential of America’s next generation of innovators. This surge in participation reflects the increasing excitement around STEM and highlights a bright future for American innovation.
The Congressional App Challenge is an official initiative of the U.S. House of Representatives, where Members of Congress host contests in their districts for middle school and high school students, encouraging them to learn to code and inspiring them to pursue careers in computer science. This resounding show of bipartisan support emphasizes the critical importance of STEM education in today’s rapidly evolving world. Each participating Member of Congress selects a winning app from their district, and each winning team is invited to showcase their winning app to Congress during our annual #HouseOfCode festival.
The program is a public-private partnership made possible through funding from the Broadcom Foundation, AWS, Rise, theCoderSchool, Apple, and others.
The 2024 Congressional App Challenge will launch in May of 2025, and eligible students can pre-register for the competition now.