The North Carolina Business Committee for Education’s Ready, Set, App! challenge is a mobile app development competition for high school students sponsored by Lenovo™. Student groups are asked to develop a mobile app using a mobile app development platform (e.g., MIT App Inventor) to solve a problem in their school or community. Ready, Set, App! focuses on three primary pillars:
- Mobile App Development
- Professional and Personal Development
- Interpersonal and Soft Skills Development
Scroll down to learn more about Ready, Set, App!
What Is Ready, Set, App?
Ready, Set, App! Is Looking For High School Interns!
Ready, Set, App! interns are high school students from across the state who are experienced in and passionate about computer science. They are assigned as mentors to the teams competing in the competition to provide insight and guidance to them as they develop their apps. They will meet with teams on a regular basis to track progress and answer questions, helping them overcome any obstacles on their pathway to success. This help includes things such as tips on time management, troubleshooting code, providing insight on designs, and more. They're a vital resource to this competition and we need hardworking, dedicated students to fill these spots.
This paid internship will begin in November 2024 and end in April 2025. Interns should expect to work about 10 hours a week. This includes regular meetings with student teams, RSA leadership, marketing/outreach for the competition, and other tasks included in organizing this event. This internship also offers its participants multiple opportunities for professional development, helping students grow into capable, young professionals.
Eligible to apply are students enrolled in grades 9-12 in a North Carolina high school.
There is no set experience requirement for this internship. Students don't need to be an expert in computer science, but some experience with coding or app design is necessary.
This internship is hybrid, with most of the work being remote. There are a few in-person events that interns will be required to attend. Those dates will be provided to the interns well in advance of the event, and travel costs are reimbursed.
Registration opens on Wednesday, September 18, 2024, and closes at 11:59 p.m. on Monday, October 21, 2024. Applicants who make it to the second round will be contacted for virtual interviews in the weeks following the end of the application period.
For more questions, please contact NCBCE Program Manager, Ciera Tucker, at ciera.tucker@nc.gov.
Congrats to our Winners!
On April 26, eight finalist student teams travelled to Lenovo Headquarters in Morrisville, NC to participate in the Fifth Annual Ready, Set, App! competition. The event was a great turnout with students, educators, business professionals, and tech industry experts from across the state attending. Here the students had to pitch their original mobile apps live on stage to a panel of judges. Every team worked hard to show off their apps, making engaging and persuasive pitches. The judge’s decision was very difficult to make, but ultimately, they decided that these three teams were a cut above the rest. They showed exceptional work by creating innovative apps and presenting them in a highly professional manner. Their hard work really paid off as they took home brand-new Lenovo laptops, gaming systems, and tablets. Congrats
again to our winners!
What To Expect
RSA is designed in three phases:
- Phase 1: Registration
- Phase 2: Develop + Demo + Pitch Group Reflection
- Phase 3: Finalist Round
Phase 1: Registration
Registration requires the contact information for both the advisor and the student participants. An optional spot to write a short description of what app you plan to build and what need it is fulfilling in your school or community is available. This information gives your intern an idea of what your goals are, but if you don't have an idea yet, don't worry! Our interns can give you tips on brainstorming and design planning!
Phase 2: Develop + Demo + Pitch Group Reflection
Your team will develop a mobile app using a mobile app development platform (e.g., MIT App Inventor) to solve a problem in your school or community.
What to Submit:
- App Pitch + Demo (Video)
- Group Reflection (Video)
- Completed Project Workbook Activities
- Upload of your APK file
- Completed information in all required fields of the submission form on Devpost
Teams will submit a two-part video that includes the app pitch with demo, and a group reflection. The video should be no longer than 5 minutes.
To view last year’s submissions, visit readysetapp.devpost.com.
All teams in phase 2 will be assigned a Ready, Set, App! Student Intern. RSA interns act as mentors to the student groups, tracking their progress and offering assistance throughout the app development process. These interns are NC high school students with experience in coding, design, app-building, and some have been in this competition before as participants. So, they're able to provide a great amount of insight and value and should be utilized.
Student groups are required to coordinate times with their assigned intern to conduct virtual check-ins. These bi-weekly check-ins last about 15 - 30 minutes. Multiple missed check-ins can be cause for dismissal from the competition. Teams will also be given a project workbook. The project workbook details the requirements of the competition, provides deadlines, and contains activities meant to aid in the app development process. The workbook will be utilized during check-ins with their designated intern.
Phase 3: Finalist Round
After the Phase 2 submission deadline, there will be a voting period to determine the finalists who will present live at the Final Pitch Competition in April at Lenovo headquarters in Morrisville, NC.
The finalists will be required to present their mobile app in front of a live audience and a panel of judges who will select the top 3 winners that get to take home awesome prizes courtesy of Lenovo™. More details to come.
For a more in-depth description of the competition, including the competition timeline, download our overview document.
News
"High School Teams from Across North Carolina Excel in Ready, Set, App! Competition"
– governor.nc.gov • 6/3/2024
"NC high school students compete in app building contest at Lenovo headquarters"
– cbs17.com • 4/26/2024
Thank you to our sponsor:
This competition is also in partnership with:
