The Youth Apps Challenge
Youth Apps Challenge is a two-part program that introduces both teachers and students to the power and potential of programming. Run through the statewide non-profit Technology Alliance and now in its third year, Youth Apps motivates teams of middle and high school students from across Washington state to develop innovative computer applications that address everyday problems. The Youth Apps Challenge is generously supported by the state’s Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, Google, Comcast, and the Breneman-Jaech Foundation.
Through a combination of teacher training and a contest, the challenge directly exposes hundreds of students to basic programming and problem solving skills. Youth Apps uniquely engages both experienced and novice student coders, and gives teachers the tools and training they need to support these budding innovators of all skill levels. Engaging more young people in STEM is critical to our state’s future, and Youth Apps is among the key efforts working directly with students and schools (Microsoft’s TEALS, Code.org, Coding Dojo, TAF Academy - are among others).
This year more than 50 teams of students (each with a faculty sponsor) submitted apps to the challenge. Teams submit either a concept with wireframes or an actual functioning app, and are evaluated against criteria noted below and based on how many years of experience they have with programming, from explorer (<1) to apprentice (1-2) to wizard (2+).
43% of entries were technical, meaning they created a functioning app
64% submitted as ‘explorers’, meaning their team had less than a year of programming
40% came from schools outside of the Puget Sound
Finalists
Fifteen (15) finalists were selected based on the following criteria: problem solving & innovation, illustration of idea, feasibility, users and market--and for the technical entries judges also looked at functionality, usability, technical complexity, and code elegance. On June 4th at the University of Washington’s Paul Allen Center for Computer Science & Engineering these finalists will showcase their apps in a live exhibition and pitch contest.
Judges from Google, the City of Seattle, and Comcast will select the three top entries (determining first, second and third places) from among these 15, looking for the teams that are the most persuasive/passionate, best able to express the purpose of the app, and have created a high-quality app. Grand prize gift cards will be awarded to the top three teams and all other finalists will receive an Amazon Kindle Fire.
2016 Finalists
HIGH SCHOOL
MIDDLE SCHOOL
Technical - Apprentice
Tidepool
Garfield HS, Seattle
Tutor Finder
TAF Academy, Federal Way
Technical - Explorer
School Tools
Skyview HS, Vancouver
-Growing Math Adventure
Harrison MS, Sunnyside
-M & A
Glover MS, Spokane
-Dealz for Realz
TAF Academy, Federal Way
Technical - Wizard
-Opportune
Newport HS, Bellevue
-AllHere
Skyview HS, Vancouver
Decisions, Decisions
The Evergreen School, Seattle
General - Apprentice
Carpool School
Tesla STEM HS, Lake Washington
ReMed
Hockinson MS, Hockinson (by Vancouver, WA)
General - Explorer
-FitMe
Garfield HS, Seattle
-Hope for the Homeless
Tesla STEM HS, Lake Washington
N/A
General - Wizard
N/A
Sleepsync
Jane Addams MS, Seattle
Honorable Mention
Hiking
Spokane Valley Tech, Central Valley
Summaries of Finalist Apps
AllHere
AllHere is a mobile-ready web app to help group or activity leaders track member attendance in a distributed way, decentralizing the work of keeping attendance records.
Carpool School
An app using student social media to connect people together for ride sharing.
Dealz for Realz
Dealz for Realz is an app that compares the prices of different items in grocery stores. The app includes a real time discount section.
Decisions, Decisions
This app helps people make decisions who have a difficult time making decisions.
FitMe
“FitMe” allows an online shopper to view clothing on a personalized avatar. They’re also able to purchase clothing and create an online wardrobe.
Growing Math Adventure
Growing Math Adventure helps users practice math and science all in one app. Users are taken through a series of math problems and shown images of plant life cycles as a reward for solving the problems.
Hiking
People like to hike, but some individuals have trouble finding the ideal trail. Hikers currently use programs like Google maps to find trails. However Google maps does not highlight the trails or provide additional information. This application provides an alternative that allows the user to find trails, make comments,take pictures to share, etc.
Hope for the Homeless
The "Hope For The Homeless" app provides an easy and efficient way for homeless people to find cheap, affordable resources and services. Additionally, any organization that may want to help with the issue of homelessness, or a business or service wanting to attract more customers, can enter information into our app for the users to view.
M&A
This app allows the user to study on their phone or tablet by using quizzes that users create for themselves.
Opportune
Opportune is a platform on which researchers can provide students with intern opportunities. In turn, students can advertise themselves to interested employers or college professors.
ReMed
ReMed is an app that reminds people to take their medication as well as keeping track of all the medication they need to take. A great feature is that emergency personnel can access a patient’s medication list and see what they last took and when.
School Tools
School Tools provides middle and high school students with an organized place to plan for classes, calculate GPA, and track credits.
SleepSync
SleepSync is a convenience app that can set timers and alarms that function in relation to whether the user is asleep or awake. For instance, it can set timers that start when the user falls asleep.
TidePool
TidePool is developing a native android app that will help Pacific Northwest beach-goers quickly identify organisms that they find on the beach. They will ask questions about easily discernible traits, such as organism pigmentation and habitat, which will narrow down a list of possible organism matches so that the user may identify the species they see.
Tutor Finder
Tutor Finder helps match students who need help with available mentors, encouraging cross grade-level support and communication.
Finalists in both the General or Technical category will be invited to present their apps at the Youth Apps Challenge event at the University of Washington on June 4, 2016.
Email apps@technology-alliance.com for any questions.
Youth Apps Teacher Trainings
The Technology Alliance offers free training to educators in an apps-based curriculum, which provides a great entry point for building student interest in computer science. Over 125 educators have been trained in the Youth Apps curriculum, many of whom had no previous technical background. The curriculum and teacher resources can be accessed here.
The Technology Alliance is offering a one-day training for teachers who wish to teach app development to middle and high school students.
To find out more and sign up please select the button below
2016 Sponsors
2015 Youth Apps Challenge
The 2015 Youth Apps Challenge engaged middle and high schools students in a friendly competition that challenged them to develop apps that solved real-world problems. Submissions were accepted online between April 1 and April 10, 2015, and were judged by Ada Developers Academy students. Almost 500 students worked in teams and submitted 154 apps for review. Winners along with their teachers and families were invited to our apps showcase and awards ceremony in either eastern or western Washington.
Eastern Washington:
Middle School
Agricultural Job Finder (AJF)
Harrison Middle School
- Esmeralda Lopez & Cinthia Santiago-Villanueva
- Teacher: Darla Van Corbach
Bully Report
Harrison Middle School
- Hollieann Geike & Isabella Verduzco
- Teacher: Darla Van Corbach
ScorpianZWare
Royal High School
- Benjamin Corpus, Marcos Espino, Tyler Piercy & Ryan Sandberg
- Teacher: Scott Sandberg
High School
Digital Notes
North Central High School
- Jared Grady
- Teacher: Marie Tamura
Mood Food
North Central High School
- Bri Kosanke & Trevor Wilson
- Teacher: Marie Tamura
The Neksol Innovation
Kamiakin High School
- Jordan Blum, Vincent Gizzarelli & Zachary Sylvester
- Teacher: Doug Reppe
Western Washington:
Middle School
Black Thunder App Math Whiz
Harrison Middle School - YVTC MESA
Photo credit: Ashley Genevieve
- Diego Benitez, Eduardo Bejar & Jake Gray
- Teacher: Darla Van Corbach
Descansarians
Hockinson Middle School
- Morghan Codino, Seanna Miller, Kylie Veteran & Elle Winn
- Teacher: Anna-Melissa Lyons
Maximillian Maniacs
Hockinson Middle School
- Sydney Henwood, Gabi Morley, Christa Phillips & Emma Royce
- Teacher: Anna-Melissa Lyons
AppDaptation Evolution App
Open Window School
- Emma Robinson & Ross Rutherford
- Teacher: Adrienne Gifford
Hatt Project
Open Window School
Photo credit: Ashley Genevieve
- Eli Beilinson, Anna Bencke, Marcus Huttunen & Ashley Ka
- Teacher: Adrienne Gifford
Sugar ’n Spice
Open Window School
- Benjamin Myerson, Ayush Noori, Lizzy Park & Sarah Smale
- Teacher: Adrienne Gifford
High School
Food Roulette
Garfield High School
- Andrew Burgon, Daelen Gates, Sasha Klezovich, Marshall Smith & Emily Wong
- Teacher: Earl Bergquist
Text Finder
Garfield High School
- Rowan Phipps & Tai Warner
- Teacher: Earl Bergquist
Lego Zebra
Lakeside School
Photo credit: Ashley Genevieve
- Christopher Lee
- Teacher: Lauren Bricker
Maybach Squad
Mariner High School
- Alexis Chavez-Franco, Jose Garcia & Ramon Ozuna
- Teacher: Auliilani De La Cruz
ClubWhat
Newport High School
- James Park, Billy Wu & Sharon Zhang
- Teacher: Matthew Johnston
Camping Connections
Nikola Tesla High School
- Katrine Bjorner, Isaac Perrin, Rachel Ray & Marius Repede
- Teacher: Melissa Wrenchey
Pen Pal
Nikola Tesla High School
- Rafia Khatri, Ann Lee, Gregory Moore, Suchi Sridhar & Mac Thompson
- Teacher: Melissa Wrenchey
Shaky Security
Nikola Tesla High School
- Gabriel Gaertner, Calin Gavriliuc, Nicholas Gomez, Artem Romanenko &Tyler Warden
- Teacher: Melissa Wrenchey