Amo Announces Opening of 2026 Congressional App Challenge for #RI01 Students

PROVIDENCE, RI –  TODAY, Congressman Gabe Amo (D-RI) announced that submissions are now open for the 2026 Congressional App Challenge.

Middle and high school students who live in Rhode Island’s First Congressional District are invited to take part in the challenge. The deadline for submissions is October 26th at 8 PM.

The winning app will be featured on the Congressional App Challenge website and will also be eligible for display in the U.S. Capitol.

“I’m thrilled to kick off the 2026 Congressional App Challenge,” said Congressman Gabe Amo (D-RI). “Students across Rhode Island’s First District are full of creativity and technical talent, and this competition gives them a chance to put those skills to work to create an entirely new app. I look forward to amazing submissions from this next generation of STEM leaders.”

Interested students can register for the 2026 Congressional App Challenge HERE.

Additional resources for interested students can be found on the Congressional App Challenge website, by contacting Erlinda Castro at erlinda.castro@mail.house.gov, or by calling our Rhode Island office at 401-729-5600.

Background

In 2015, the U.S. House of Representatives launched the Congressional App Challenge, a nationwide competition to encourage students to get involved in the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields. Students can compete individually or in teams of up to four people. Students can compete against their peers by submitting an application (also known as an “app”). The Challenge is designed to promote innovation and engagement in computer science. In addition to submitting an app for the Congressional App Challenge, students will also prepare a video explaining what they learned during the competition.

As a member of the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, Congressman Gabe Amo is proud to support STEM education efforts in Rhode Island and across our nation. 

Amo is a co-lead of the bipartisan Literacy in Future Technologies Artificial Intelligence (LIFT AI) Act with Congressman Tom Kean (R-NJ) to improve artificial intelligence literacy for K-12 students.

Mohammed Umar from Lincoln High School won the 2025 Congressional App Challenge for Rhode Island’s First Congressional District. His app, BinAI, is a user-friendly mobile application that uses AI to help users recycle correctly.

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