FreePeriodProducts wins Rep. Greg Pence’s 2024 Congressional App Challenge in Indiana’s Sixth District
Rep. Greg Pence has named Annabelle White, a twelfth grader at Whiteland Community as the winner of the 2024 Congressional App Challenge in Indiana’s Sixth District.
When asked what inspired the creation of FreePeriodProducts, the student said, “I teach 4th and 5th-grade girls basic coding skills after school. At their age, I remember being worried about what would happen if I started my period in public and forgot to bring period products. The initial purpose of this website/database was to alleviate that anxiety as well as ensure people don’t miss out on opportunities because of their periods. For example, pretend a girl starts her period right before her calculus midterm at Ivy Tech Community College. Instead of rushing home to get products (and potentially being late to the test), she could just input her location into the website and access free products near her.
Situations like this are much more dire if you are one of the nearly 50 million women in the United States who cannot afford essential period products, a condition known as ‘period poverty.’ Nearly 1 in 10 girls have missed school due to lacking essential products. This significant educational barrier, often overlooked due to stigma, is a root cause of gender inequality. FreePeriodProducts addresses this by connecting people in need of products to local resources as well as speaking out against period stigma.”
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.