The 2022 Congressional App Challenge is underway. Congressman Hal Rogers has teamed up with SOAR to help promote computer science in Kentucky’s Appalachian region, giving our students a competitive technology edge. Congressman Rogers co-founded SOAR in 2013 to help revitalize southern and eastern Kentucky through new opportunities in our communities. A winning app is selected for every congressional district, which will be displayed in the U.S. Capitol Building. Winning students are invited to the #HouseofCode Capitol Hill Reception in Washington, D.C., and are eligible for several prizes.

“This is a tough year for hundreds of our East Kentucky students who are facing unimaginable circumstances as they begin school after the catastrophic flood that swept across our region in July. It is my hope that this year’s Congressional App Challenge will give students something to look forward to and a dose of inspiration for the future,” said Congressman Rogers, Dean of the U.S. House. “The Congressional App Challenge is a nationwide competition that was launched in 2015 to encourage students to explore coding and app development. It puts our students on the national stage of innovation and ensures that we remain on the cutting edge of technology right here at home in the mountains.” 

Thanks to generous donations for the Eastern Kentucky Student Support Fund, SOAR has raised more than $110,000 for flood-damaged schools to purchase new technology equipment, including laptops, tablets, and other devices. 

Each year, students from the Floyd County Area Technology Center have taken the challenge to heart, sweeping the top award for Kentucky’s Fifth Congressional District with impressive mobile app concepts. This year, SOAR and CEDAR, Inc. are helping expand the competition, encouraging more students to realize the advantages of learning how to develop new technology resources. 

“We are honored to partner with Congressman Rogers, CEDAR Inc., and Eastern Kentucky students on the 2022 Congressional App Challenge. High-paying remote careers are available now more than ever. It’s critical Eastern Kentucky students learn the needed skills for these jobs that will allow them to stay in the region to live and work,” said Colby Hall, Executive Director of SOAR.

The 2022 SOAR Summit in Pikeville will feature more information about the Congressional App Challenge, highlighting app concepts that have won in previous years. Thanks to generous support from Toyota Tsusho, Eastern Kentucky high school and college students can attend the event for free. Interested students and schools can email students@soar-ky.org. The SOAR Summit will be held at the Appalachian Wireless Arena on October 19-20, 2022. 

Middle and high school students can participate in the Congressional App Challenge individually or as a team of up to four students by registering at CongressionalAppChallenge.us. The competition deadline is November 1, 2022.