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
Student groups are asked to adhere to the terms and conditions below to be considered for the competition. If groups have any questions, please contact NCBCE Program Manager, Ciera Tucker, at ciera.tucker@nc.gov.
We've extended the deadline! You now have until January 13, 2023 to sign your team up!
Scroll down to learn more about the eligibility and requirements of Ready, Set, App!
This video shows the winning pitch from our competition last year! Congratulations to our first place winners, Requestify, for creating such a unique and neccessary app!
To view all the team pitches as well as the full competition and Q&A panel with Lenovo professionals, please visit www.ncstudentconnect.com. NC Student Connect provides resources and technology for educators and students in all 100 counties. Creating an account is completely free and will allow you to access the Ready, Set, App! videos and much more. Once you're logged in, make your way to the "Videos" tab, then filter your search by "Conference/Initiative" and select "Ready, Set, App!"
Meet our 2022-2023 Ready, Set, App! Interns!
Ready, Set, App! interns are high school students from across the state who are experienced 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 can include anything from tips on time management, troubleshooting code, providing insight on designs, and more. They're a vital resource in this competition and we are so excited to have them on board!
This year's lead intern is Siddharth Maruvada, and our new interns are Ahmya Rivera, Ganning Xu, Jonathan Rogers, and Pranathi Gorty. The team at Ready, Set, App! is so excited to work with these incredible students and can't wait to see what great mentors they become.
Eligibility
Students must be enrolled as a 9-12 grade student in a North Carolina high school.
Teams are comprised of three-five students and one advisor. The advisor does not have to have a computer science or tech background to aid in the process. The advisor can be a teacher, school staff member, or any adult community leader (Girl Scout/Cub Scout leader, Boys and Girls Club leader, Sports Coach, etc.)
Advisors may register with multiple teams. However, students can only join ONE team. Also, team formation should seek to demonstrate and utilize diversity and inclusivity (e.g., race/ethnicity, gender, neurodiversity, age, culture, language, subject area of expertise).
Participants commit to developing an Android mobile application that addresses a problem in their school or community.
Registration opens September 12, 2022 and closes at 11:59 p.m. on January 13, 2023. Please note - registration only indicates interest in the competition and allows us to set you up with resources such as assigning your team one of our student interns. Final projects are not due until March 17, 2023.
Requirements
RSA is designed in three phases:
- Phase 1: Registration
- Phase 2: Develop + Demo + Pitch Group Reflection
- Phase 3: Finalist Round
Phase 1: Registration
Use the "Register Your Team Now" button below to access the registration form. The form requires the contact information for both the teacher advisor/leader 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
- Group Reflection - Answer 3 out of the 6 questions provided in addition to the mandatory diversity question
- Upload your APK file to Devpost
- Complete and enter information into all required fields of the submission form on hackathon site
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. The video should be uploaded to YouTube, and the link should be added to the group submission form. All competition materials are due by March 17, 2023, at 11:59 pm. Student groups that miss the deadline will not be entered in the final round of judging.
All teams moving forward to 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 many have been in the competition before. They're a valuable resource in this competition.
Student groups will coordinate times to conduct virtual check-ins with the designated intern that will last about 30 minutes. The check-ins are required to meet the guidelines of the competition. In the case that a group misses three check-ins with no communication within at least 24 hours, they will no longer be able to compete in RSA. Teams will also be given a project workbook. The project workbook will assist in the app development process. The workbook will be utilized during check-ins with their designated intern.
Visit readysetapp.devpost.com to view the submissions from last year, learn more about the site, and what to expect for Phase 2.
Phase 3: Finalist Round
After the Phase 2 submission deadline, there will be a voting period to determine the finalists who will present at the Final Pitch Competition.
The finalists will be required to present their mobile app in front of an 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.
Thank you to our sponsor:
This competition is also in partnership with:
