Huffman Announces Winner of 2024 Congressional App Challenge

April 29, 2025

Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressman Jared Huffman (CA-02) announced that Rehan Nazeem, a Junior at San Marin High School in Novato, is the winner of the 2024 Congressional App Challenge for California’s Second Congressional District.Rehan’s winning submission, Terrain Fire Risk Analyzer, predicts the fire risk associated with a terrain and provides fire mitigation recommendations.

“Every year, I'm impressed by the smart and talented high school students who participate in the Congressional App Challenge – and Rehan’s app has really raised the bar when it comes to pairing technological capabilities with the pressing needs of our time," said Rep. Huffman. “Terrain Fire Risk Analyzer addresses one of the biggest problems facing our community right now – helping people stay safe and prepared for wildfires through this easy-to-use tech. Congratulations to Rehan and well done to the restof this year’s participants.”

After witnessing devastating wildfires in 2016 and 2017 firsthand, Rehan was inspired to explore ways to prevent further disasters. He considers his fire-risk app as the beginning of his commitment to building tools that help communities stay safe and prepared in the face of wildfires.

Watch Rehan’s demonstration of his app, Terrain Fire Risk Analyzer, here.

Established by the U.S. House of Representatives in 2013, the Congressional App Challenge competition invites high school students from all participating congressional districts to compete by creating and exhibiting their software application for mobile, tablet, or computer devices on a platform of their choice. This year’s Congressional App Challenge set new records, with an unprecedented 382 Members of the House of Representatives hosting competitions. 

Apps are judged based on the following criteria: quality of the idea, including creativity and originality; implementation of the idea, including user experience and design; and demonstrated excellence of coding and programming skills.

Read more about the House Student App Challenge here.

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