Jessica Mathews / news@whmi.com


The winners of the 2025 Congressional App Challenge for Michigan’s 7th District have been announced.

The national competition is hosted by members of Congress each year to encourage middle and high school student participation in computer science and coding.

The first-place app in this year’s challenge was “AgriVerse” - created by Okemos High School students Sai Pranav Tejas Valisetty and Rithik Parthasarathy who teamed up with Brian Lee and Vishwas Tattala from outside the district. The team’s mobile app is intended to help farmers and recreational gardeners raise crops and other plants by using artificial intelligence and a device’s camera to identify plant diseases or insects and provide information for addressing problems.

Local Congressman Tom Barrett cpmmented said “Congratulations to Okemos students Sai Pranav Tejas Valisetty and Rithik Parthasarathy, and their teammates Brian Lee and Vishwas Tattala, for designing the winning app of the 2025 Congressional App Challenge. Mid-Michigan has long been home to cutting-edge engineering, and I’m proud of each of the students from our region who used their creativity and coding skills to design practical and educational apps. These young people are the next generation of innovators, and I look forward to seeing how they continue employing their knowledge and abilities to develop new, useful technologies that help our communities thrive.”


“FairMaps: Geometry of Democracy” is this year’s runner-up created by Ishaan Mahapatra from Haslett High School. The app teaches users about legislative redistricting and allows them to try their hand at drawing hypothetical district maps.


“Ves” is the third-place winner created by Cayla Marzban from Brighton High School. The app helps users monitor their lifestyle — diet, sleep, work schedule, etc. — to avoid burnout and live a more healthy life.

The first-place winners will have their app displayed in the U.S. Capitol and will be invited to join other winners from across the country at the annual #HouseofCode reception in Washington, D.C. this spring.

More about the Congressional App Challenge is available in the provided link.