Washington, D.C. - Today Congresswoman Dina Titus of Nevada’s First Congressional District announced the winners of the 2021 Congressional App Challenge. Officially launched by the U.S. House of Representatives in 2015, the Congressional App Challenge is an academic competition to inspire and promote innovation in the fields of science, technology engineering, the arts, and math (STEM). Participating students develop or design an app on a platform of their choice. They are also required to submit a video demonstrating the idea, implementation, and impact of the app.

“This competition is an opportunity to expose students to STEM fields and inspire them to pursue a rewarding career in science, technology, engineering, math, or coding,” said Rep. Dina Titus, a member of the House STEM Education Caucus.

“I congratulate Dev Saxena of Hyde Park Middle School for his winning app and applaud all the students participating in this year's Congressional App Challenge for their creativity. Dev’s app ‘WizKid’ is an online educational app that teaches students core subjects through games. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the challenges associated with distance learning. This app helps keep digital learning fun and captivating to ensure students are maximizing their potential.

“In Congress I’ll continue to be a strong supporter of STEM education which provides students the skills they need to compete for the jobs of tomorrow so we can maintain American competitiveness in the global economy.”

Throughout the competition, participating students have opportunities to engage with various STEM educational partners located in the community to mentor and assist them with the development and design of their app. Recognizing the racial, gendered and other disparities in the tech sector, the CAC also focuses on inclusivity and making the Challenge as accessible as possible to people from all backgrounds and makes efforts to include students from all backgrounds, including those traditionally underrepresented in tech.

1st Place: WizKid

Student: Dev Saxena, 7th grade from Hyde Park Middle School

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rn3cUPmQ8e8

App Description: WizKid is an online educational app that teaches students core subjects, such as Math, English, Science, and Social Studies, through games. 

2nd Place: Pandz

Student: Kristiyan Pandzharov, 10th grade from West Career and Technical Academy

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnuiONsXBfM

App Description:  Pandz has been designed to unite communities against the coronavirus pandemic by giving them a safe space to communicate with each other. This app promotes reliable news and it helps prevent people from being misinformed about the coronavirus and coronavirus vaccine. 

3rd Place: Nova Assistant

Student Team: 

Lucian Adzima, 8th grade from Hyde Park Middle School

Madden Okada, 8th grade from Hyde Park Middle School

Kenneth Baxter, 8th grade from Hyde Park Middle School

Link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1KokyDdRW-65_gK3ZoLPCSYt29OsV09V7/view?usp=sharing

App Description: It is a digital assistant that can search Wikipedia, perform simple math calculations, and list the time and date.