MIT App Inventor Youth Mobile Power App Contest
We are thrilled to announce our Youth Mobile Power App Challenge Winners for 2019!
Middle School Winner
Kaitlyn Tait
from Tex Hill Middle School in San Antonio, TX
Middle School Honorable Mentions
Taran Anand, Fremont, CA
Aaryan Doshi, Sunnyvale, CA
Surya Krishnapillai, Arnav Ratna, Dhwani Beesanahalli, Fremont, CA
Steve Lee, River Edge, NJ
High School Winners
Madison Maynard and Cassidy Everett
from Cochranton Jr. Sr. High School in Cochranton, PA
High School Honorable Mentions
Janice Comstock, Noah Bernarding, Cochranton, PA
Nathaneo Johnson, Edwin Ma, Irvine, CA
Aditya Namjoshi, Chinmay Walavalkar, Pearland, TX
Shreya Vinjamuri, San Jose, CA
Kenny Zhou, Sam Le, Boston, MA
Participants in the MIT App Inventor Youth Mobile Power App Challenge, with YR Media were asked to invent an app, using MIT App Inventor, that related to one of a curated set of YR Media stories. Apps were judged in two divisions, Middle School (gr. 5-8) and High School (gr. 9-12).
The winners in each division will present their apps at the MIT App Inventor 10th Anniversary Summit, Aug 1-3, 2019. They will meet members of the MIT App Inventor team and representatives from YR Media.
Sounds and Places: In this video, two YR producers collect audio from a spot in downtown Oakland and turn that local soundscape into a beat. (Ideas: Can you map sound to a sense of place? Can you make a quiz where people identify neighborhoods in your area by sounds alone?)
Love Letters: This poet starts with the line, "Honey I'm home," and shares a love letter to her city. (Ideas: Can you make a poetry app? What other ways could an app show someone's love for their home--or how that home is changing?)
Dance, Little Robot: It's no surprise that Artificial Intelligence might fall short when it comes to scoring music for something as subjective as “danceability” - but how well can AI even recognize everyday objects? (Ideas: Use IoT to make performance art! Can you cause several objects or devices to "dance" or "sing" together?)
Life on File: When one YR producer who grew up in foster care got a hold of his court records, he was stunned by how much of his everyday life was documented by the state--and wrote about it here. (Ideas: Make an app that helps users track important life records. How else can technology help young people get support they need?)
On the Move: This story (a collaboration between YR and Wyoming Public Media) shares what it’s like for young people whose families move with the seasons to follow the harvest. (Ideas: Make an app that helps students who relocate mid-year. Can you help with transitions, which are both practical and emotional?)
Quiz for Good: In the run-up to the 2018 midterm elections, YR created a quiz to help first-time voters prepare to hit the polls. (Ideas: Other ways to re-invent the all-popular quiz experience? Or make an app that builds youth civic engagement--not just at election time?)
Calling All Entrepreneurs: In this profile, we meet a 14-year-old who creates press-on nails for contestants on the wildly popular show, “RuPaul’s Drag Race.” (Ideas: Make an app that helps young entrepreneurs reach their goals. Or maybe your app will take creative expression and style to a whole new level!)
Pop Culture Remix: Tired of not seeing yourself, or the stories you want, on the screen? In this interactive piece, YR remixed the movies, and you can too. (Ideas: Can your app inspire industry change? Expose disparities in representation and other forms?)
Beyond the Bully: In this story, YR shares pointers on how to distinguish between a bot and an actual human bully online. (Ideas: Can you make an app that addresses bullying, or helps users identify and deal with bots they encounter online?)