All project work must begin on or after November 5, 2026.

• The challenge is open to all Westside High School students, regardless of grade or prior programming experience.
• Teams may have 1–4 members.
• Students may participate individually or as part of one team.
• All team members must be able to explain their contribution to the project.
• Coding Club officers involved in organizing or judging the competition may not compete.

Projects must:

• Be started on or after November 5, 2026.
• Address a real problem or opportunity related to Westside High School.
• Be appropriate for a school environment.
• Follow all applicable school policies.
• Not use real student personal information or sensitive school data.
• Include the required working project/demo, video, writeup, and source code.

Projects that were substantially built before the start of the challenge may not be submitted.

Previously submitted projects, including projects submitted to the Congressional App Challenge, may not be reused as challenge submissions.

AI coding assistants and other AI development tools are allowed.

However, AI does not replace understanding. Every team member must be able to explain how their project works and answer reasonable questions about the code and implementation.