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.
Eligible to apply are students enrolled in grades 9-12 in a North Carolina high school.
Students don't need to be an expert in computer science, but some experience with coding or app design is necessary.
This internship will begin in November and end in April. Interns should expect to work about 10 hours a week.
This is a paid internship! Interns will earn $100 per week.
Registration opens Monday, September 18, 2023, and closes at 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, October 15, 2023. Applicants who make it to the second round will be contacted for virtual interviews following the end of the application period.
For more questions, please contact NCBCE Program Manager, Ciera Tucker, at ciera.tucker@nc.gov.
How Do I Join Ready, Set, App?
Ready, Set, App! is a mobile app building competition for NC high schoolers. Over the course of a few months, students will take a unique idea and turn it into a full-functioning original app. No previous coding experience is necessary, as our incredible team of interns will be there to help you along the way.
To join, students will need to create a team, three to five students per team, and find an advisor. 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).
Registration opens Monday, November 6, 2023 and closes at 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, January 21, 2024. Please note - registration only indicates interest in the competition and allows us to set you up with resources such as project workbooks and assigning your team one of our student interns. Final projects are not due until later, in March.
Please check back here in November when registration is live, this site will then be updated with the link to register.
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.
Thank you to our sponsor:
This competition is also in partnership with:
