Young Minds, Big Ideas: Rep. Judy Chu Recognizes Student App Innovators

(L) Rep. Judy Chu (R) First Place winner Anika Jha (Photos – screenshots, office of Judy Chu)

Rep. Judy Chu (CA-28) hosted the 7th Annual Congressional App Challenge Awards Ceremony on Saturday, January 17, 2026, honoring middle and high school students who participated in the National Congressional App Challenge.

By Rena Kurlander

The ceremony marked the culmination of the nationwide competition, which encourages and recognizes young programming talent.

Held at the California Institute of Technology’s Hameetman Auditorium in the Cahill Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics, the event brought together students, families, and educators from across the district.

More than 50 student-created apps were showcased during the ceremony. Rep. Chu announced the Top 10 winners from California’s 28th Congressional District, who received goody bags donated by science-focused organizations in the district. The first-place winner is eligible to have their app featured in the U.S. Capitol Building and on the House.gov website and will receive an invitation to the House of Code celebration in Washington, D.C., where winners from across the country demonstrate their apps.

The winners announced at the ceremony were:

• First Place:
  Fire Up by Anika Jha – (See video).
• Second Place:
  SCREAM++ by Tony Kan – (See video).
• Third Place:
  EyeMAX by Drexel Ngo, Alina Ramos, Evan Lau, and Athicha Chanpradub – (See video).
• Fourth Place:
  No Nurdles by Bernice Deng – (See video).
• Fifth Place:
  Chorify by Chenxi (Eva) Huang – (See video).

Honorable Mentions were awarded to SeeSomething AI by Spursh Deshpande, Timofey Tkachev, and Thomas Haddad (see video); MyMelody by Lily Chen (see video); PathGuard by Aaron Shen (see video); and MediHelp by Theo Mirzakhanian and Karen Avetisyan (see video). A Middle School Honorable Mention was awarded to EcoQuest by Chloe Tam (see video).

The ceremony concluded with recognition of the students’ achievements, underscoring the role of education, mentorship, and community support in fostering the next generation of technology leaders in California’s 28th Congressional District.