Do you like to design and make things? Are you inspired by the power of technology to create and build the world around you?

If so, the Office of Congresswoman Suzan DelBene in conjunction with the AT&T Developer Program want to see you in action! We’re looking for creative thinkers like you to join us at this special hackathon to get you started on your Congressional App Challenge project. All skill levels are welcome! We need a wide variety of skills and perspectives to create the best apps.

Join us in Discovery Hall on the UW Bothell campus as we hack and build mobile apps, eat snacks, compete for prizes and meet new people who share your love of technology. We will have experts from local tech firms at the event to provide some assistance.

The Congressional App Challenge (CAC) is a competition aimed at encouraging U.S. high school students to learn how to code by creating their own applications. The Challenge is intended to highlight the value of computer science and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) education and encourage students to engage in these fields. By encouraging and recognizing our nation’s young programming talent, Congress hopes to shine a light on the growing importance of these skills.

Note: This is a special event geared towards high school students in districts that are participating in the 2016 Congressional App Challenge. Find out if your district is participating! If you are a member of the tech community and would like to mentor a team, sign up for the Mentor ticket. We will reach out to you for more information.

What to Bring:

Your laptop, skills & ideas. Come with a collaborative, team-focused mindset and/or team-up in advance with other students. Whether you like to write code, create visuals or are just interested in tech, you are invited to attend this event. Every group needs a good balance of talent and your skills are needed!

What We Supply:

There will be quick presentations to launch the kick off and libraries of free code samples will be available to help kick start your hacking. We will provide food to keep you going and caffeine to keep you awake. Technical mentors will be available to assist you in building faster, smarter, and with new tools.

Prep for Success

Get a head start by checking out these awesome technologies from our sponsors. Knowing how the technologies work will help you get started faster at the hackathon.

• Download the Android Developer Kit. Check out the Getting Started Tutorials!
• Get started with Scaphold for free. Check out the documentation for starter kits and tutorials!
• Kickstart your learning with free app development courses from Microsoft Virtual Academy!

Event Schedule:

Day 1

• 12PM - Doors open for registration and check-in
• 1PM - Event kickoff and featured speakers
• 2PM - Pitch ideas and form teams
• 6PM - Dinner served
• 10PM - Day 1 finishes

Day 2

• 10AM - Breakfast is served! Work with the teams from Day 1 to complete your app. Mentors will be available throughout the day to help you code your solution. Team registrations will be accepted throughout the day with a deadline of 12PM.
• 12PM - Deadline for team registration, keep coding!
• 12:30PM - Lunch is served
• 2PM - CODE FREEZE. Pitches start promptly at 2PM and are limited to three (3) minutes per team. PowerPoint presentations are not recommended!

Prizes:

The following prizes are experiential and geared towards accelerating and expanding your network and industry knowledge:

• AT&T Excellence Award
• Google Excellence Award
• Microsoft Excellence Award
• Scaphold Excellence Award

Judging Criteria:

Apps will be judged based on the criteria below:

1. Quality of the idea (including creativity & originality)
2. Implementation of the idea
3. Demonstrated excellence of coding & programming skills

Thanks to Our Sponsors