ROCHESTER, MN – Today, Congressman Brad Finstad (MN-01) invited middle and high school students from Minnesota’s First Congressional District to participate in the 2026 Congressional App Challenge.
Officially launched by the U.S. House of Representatives in 2015, the competition is a nationwide event intended to engage students’ creativity and encourage their participation in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields by inviting them to create and exhibit their software application (also known as an “app”) for web, PC, tablet, mobile, or other platform of their choice. Students may compete as individuals or in teams of up to four, as long as two of the teammates attend schools within the First District.
“The Congressional App Challenge is a valuable opportunity for middle and high school students to explore computer science while turning their ideas into real-world applications,” said Rep. Finstad. “Southern Minnesota is home to some of the brightest young minds, many of whom will become our nation’s next generation of innovators. I look forward to seeing the creativity and ingenuity they create this year.”
First-place winners from each Congressional district are invited to demonstrate their apps to Members of Congress at the #HouseofCode event held each spring. Last year’s winning app for Minnesota’s First Congressional District was “DermaSight” submitted by Simon Wilke of Century High School in Rochester. His app helps users detect early signs of skin cancer directly from their phones.
The deadline to submit an app is October 26, 2026, at 7:00PM CT. Registration, competition rules, and student resources can be found here. Additional questions can be directed to Congressman Finstad’s Rochester office at (507) 577-6140.
