Press Releases

Congressman Garret Graves (LA-06) announced today that the Sixth District will participate in the third Congressional App Challenge (CAC), a high school app competition designed to engage student's creativity and encourage their participation in computer science. Students, individually or in teams, are tasked with creating, coding, and implementing a new and innovative computer application.

"I want to encourage students across south Louisiana who have any interest in coding, computer science and technology to jump into this opportunity to practice and hone their skills. We're excited to see the talent across our District on display and look forward to engaging with – and learning a thing or two – from some our brightest young constituents.

The Challenge will run from July 26^th through November 1, 2017. The competition is open to all students who meet the eligibility requirements, regardless of coding experience. We strongly encourage students of all skill levels to participate and to learn how to create their own apps.

Winners will be selected by a panel of judges and be given Congressional recognition for their achievements in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) and Computer Science. Their apps will be featured on a display in the US Capitol in Washington D.C., on house.gov, and on the Congressional App Challenge website.

The CAC was created because Congress recognized that STEM and computer-based skills are essential for economic growth and innovation, and that the U.S. has been falling behind on these fronts. By some estimates, the US may be short by many as a million programmers by 2020. These are high-paying, high-demand jobs. To maintain American competitiveness, it's crucial that the United States invests in our youth now, and helps them acquire these valuable skills. The CAC encourages students to pursue those skills and recognizes them for their efforts.

For further information about the Congressional App Challenge, please visit /congressional-app-challenge