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
What Is Ready, Set, App?
Ready, Set, App! Registration is Now Open!
All North Carolina high school students are invited to join the 7th cycle of the Ready, Set, App! challenge, a statewide competition to design, develop, and pitch an original mobile app that makes a difference in their school or community. Students form teams of 3 to 5 members and one adult advisor to complete their project over the course of several months.
No prior coding experience is necessary to participate. Ready, Set, App! provides tools and support throughout the process. Every registered team will be paired with an intern mentor for guidance and gain access to online resources, virtual workshops, and in-person events across the state.
Upon completion of their projects, teams will pitch and demo their apps for a chance to advance as finalists. Finalist teams will present to a live audience and panel of judges at the final pitch competition, held at Lenovo headquarters in the spring. Winners will take home exciting prizes in the form of brand-new Lenovo tech! Please note, registration will be open until 11:59 PM EST on February 2, 2026.
If you are unable to find an advisor, have trouble forming a team of at least 3 members, or have any other questions, please contact NCBCE Program Manager, Udai Virk, at udai.virk@nc.gov.
NEW: Ready, Set, App! Introducing Development Days!
This year, Ready, Set, App! is featuring Development Days, a new series of in-person events across North Carolina designed to support teams as they move from registration into the active project development phase of the competition.
Development Days give students time, mentorship, and hands-on support to move their app ideas forward while connecting with professionals, college students, and fellow competitors. Each Development Day includes:
- Workshops led by Lenovo professionals, NC State University students, and RSA interns
- Dedicated time for teams to work on their projects
- Opportunities to network and ask questions about app development, college, and careers
- Chance to engage with a past RSA team who successfully completed their project
Students are strongly encouraged to attend the Development Day closest to them. These events provide valuable time to move your project forward, receive mentorship, and connect with other students and RSA team members in person. Also, lunch will be provided at all events!
Development Day Locations & Dates
January 26, 2026
Lenovo Executive Briefing Center
8001 Development Dr, Morrisville, NC 27560
February 7, 2026
Rittling Conference Center, Davidson-Davie Community College
297 DCC Road, Thomasville, NC 27360
February 8, 2026
A-B Tech Conference Center, A-B Tech Community College
10 Genevieve Circle, Asheville, NC 28801
February 14, 2026
Lenoir Community College AAMC
3800 NC-58, Kinston, NC 28504
Ready, Set, App! Intern Applications Are Now Closed
Ready, Set, App! provides a meaningful work-based learning experience for students not just through competing, but also through our internship program. 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 guidance as they develop their apps. Interns are a vital resource in this competition, meeting virtually with teams to help them progress and enabling them to overcome any obstacles on their pathway to success. This help can include sharing tips on time management, providing insight on designs, troubleshooting code, and more.
Intern applications for our 7th cycle are now closed. Check back next year for information on the next application cycle.
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 6 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 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.
News
"North Carolina High School Innovators Excel in Governor's 'Ready, Set, App!' Tech Competition"
– hoodline.com • 5/31/2025
"High School Teams from Across North Carolina Amaze in Ready, Set, App! Competition"
– rcnamericancsc.blogspot.com • 5/30/2025
"High School Teams from Across North Carolina Amaze in Ready, Set, App! Competition"
– world.einnews.com • 5/30/2025
"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:
