PrintIn an effort to encourage more Washington teens to learn computer science, the Technology Alliance today announced its 2014 Youth Apps Challenge.

The competition invites middle and high school students from across the state to form teams that design and build apps. Teens can compete in two categories — general and technical — and are required to submit a presentation, a pitch video and wireframe diagrams of the app’s core functionality. The technical teams must also show a full functional app in addition to the source code.

“More Washington students should have the opportunity to engage in high-quality computer science learning and build skills that will prepare them for careers in our vibrant technology economy,” Susannah Malarkey, executive director of the Technology Alliance, said in a statement. “By participating in the Youth Apps Challenge, students learn to be not just consumers of technology, but to be creators. They will learn how to solve real-world problems and have fun in the process.”

A mentor helps out a budding coder with her programming skills during a high school hackathon at Rainier Beach this past May.
A mentor helps out a budding coder with her programming skills during a high school hackathon at Rainier Beach this past May.

The apps will be judged at the end of May by industry experts at two separate competitions — one for western Washington and the other for eastern Washington. The winning teams will take home tablets and have the chance to tour a local tech company.

The Technology Alliance uses curriculum from an organization called Apps for Good to help educators interested in teaching their students about app development.

There are already 24 schools and education organizations participating and more plan to join the competition, which is funded by a federal Recovery Act grant.

Those interested in signing up should head here or contact Technology Alliance STEM Outreach Project director Karen Manuel at karen@technology-alliance.com.

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