Frequently Asked Questions
General
How is the Global Appathon different from the Global AI Hackathon?
The Global AI Hackathon ran from 2024 to 2025, organized by MIT RAISE and the App Inventor Foundation. For 2026, the competition has been rebranded as the Global Appathon under MIT App Inventor and the App Inventor Foundation. The core elements of the competition remain the same, except that AI is no longer a submission requirement under the Global Appathon. The Global Appathon is a continuation of prior official MIT App Inventor competitions, such as the Summer Appathon, App of the Season, and App of the Month.
Do I have to use MIT App Inventor to build my app?
Yes, using MIT App Inventor is a requirement of the competition.
Where can I get help on my project?
The App Inventor Community Forum is an active public forum where App Inventor users of all ages worldwide can ask questions, seek help, and answer others’ questions. Feel free to ask appathon-related questions under the “Appathon” category.
Note that the MIT App Inventor and App Inventor Foundation teams are unable to answer questions about individual projects.
Can I submit my project after the deadline?
All projects must be submitted by April 15, 2026 at 23:59 AOE (Anywhere on Earth) to be considered for the competition. We are unable to accommodate requests for extensions.
Can the App Inventor team match me with a mentor for my project?
The App Inventor team is unable to match participants with mentors. We have an active Community Forum where you can ask questions and receive help from the community.
Judging
If I volunteer as a judge, can I receive a support letter to use in my visa application?
We do not provide letters for visa or application purposes based on participation as a volunteer judge. We have received a number of inquiries about using judging certificates for U.S. visa and H-1B applications, as well as requests for formal support letters. This volunteer program is intended solely as a community service activity and does not meet the criteria required for immigration-related documentation.
What criteria will my project be judged on?
Submissions will be judged on the criteria listed below.
Creativity
- Submission demonstrates significant originality and creativity, offering a new or unexpected solution to a problem.
Impact
- Submission offers a solution that is directly related to the theme.
- Submission has the potential to create a meaningful impact on a substantial audience.
Design
- All UI components (e.g. buttons, labels, text) are well-sized, well-spaced, and aligned with a consistent, visually appealing design.
- App demonstrates responsive design by resizing appropriately on devices of different sizes. Note that judges may test your app on a different device than your own!
- App uses appropriate layouts (vertical, horizontal, table) to show and hide components effectively.
- Text and color are well-balanced, aesthetically appealing, and consistent.
- Navigation is intuitive, and the app is easy to use.
- All user profiles and needs are considered in app design.
Technical Skill: Software
- Applicable for projects that only use software.
- App loads and runs without failure and is fully-featured.
- Code includes use of programming constructs (local variables, global variables, selection, iteration, or procedures) with sophisticated use of event-driven program techniques.
- Code includes use of abstraction through data structures (e.g. lists, dictionaries, local variables, and procedure parameters), procedures, advanced components (data science, charts, maps, or other sensors), or external resources (databases, generative AI, physical computing, or social media) to manage complexity.
Technical Skill: Hardware
- Applicable for projects that include external hardware components.
- Use and design of hardware is well justified in the hardware appendix of the presentation.
- Project uses substantial original hardware components that were designed or built by the team.
- App loads, runs without failure, is navigable when not connected to hardware, and is fully-featured.
- App handles a lack of hardware connection in a graceful way (e.g. alerts user with meaningful error messages).
- Code includes use of programming constructs (local variables, global variables, selection, iteration, or procedures) with sophisticated use of event-driven program techniques.
- Code includes use of abstraction through data structures (e.g. lists, dictionaries, local variables, and procedure parameters), procedures, advanced components (data science, charts, maps, or other sensors), or external resources (databases, generative AI, physical computing, or social media) to manage complexity.
Can I see my judging scores and comments after the competition?
No, we do not provide judging scores or comments to participants.
Submissions
Can I submit an app I made for another competition or that I started before the Global Appathon?
You are invited to submit apps developed for class projects, the AP Digital Portfolio, the Congressional App Challenge, or similar competitions. However, please do not re-submit apps that were previously submitted to any official App Inventor competition, such as the Global AI Hackathon, Regional Appathon, Summer Appathon, App of the Season, or App of the Month.
Is the competition free to join?
Yes, there are no costs associated with submitting to the competition.
Can I submit an app by myself or do I have to submit as a team?
You may submit as an individual or as a team of up to five members.
Can I submit multiple apps?
No, only one submission is allowed per participant.
Is it ok if my teammates are in different countries?
Yes, there is no requirement for team members to come from the same location.
What category should I submit to if some of my team members are under 18 and others are over 18?
Submit to the All-Ages team category, which allows team members of all ages.
Can my app address multiple UN SDGs?
Yes, your app can address one or more of the 17 UN SDGs.
Can I use hardware in my project?
Yes, you may use hardware as part of your project. The Technical Skill portion of hardware projects will be judged based on the criteria listed below, while Creativity, Impact, and Design will be judged the same as software projects. Be sure to fill out the Hardware Appendix in your presentation.
- Use and design of hardware is well justified in the hardware appendix of the presentation.
- Project uses substantial original hardware components that were designed or built by the team.
- App loads, runs without failure, is navigable when not connected to hardware, and is fully-featured.
- App handles a lack of hardware connection in a graceful way (e.g. alerts user with meaningful error messages).
- Code includes use of programming constructs (local variables, global variables, selection, iteration, or procedures) with sophisticated use of event-driven program techniques.
- Code includes use of abstraction through data structures (e.g. lists, dictionaries, local variables, and procedure parameters), procedures, advanced components (data science, charts, maps, or other sensors), or external resources (databases, generative AI, physical computing, or social media) to manage complexity.
Is it okay for a teacher or parent to help with a youth submission?
Adults may support youth submissions to a certain extent. They may provide high-level advice, input, and feedback on the project. However, if adults get more heavily involved in the project (e.g. writing code, debugging code, creating designs, etc), they should be included as a team member and the project should be submitted to the All-Ages team category. All projects are expected to acknowledge help they received outside of their team members in the Acknowledgements section of the presentation.
Can my submission video exceed the 3-minute limit?
Submission videos that do not comply with the 3-minute limit may be disqualified at the discretion of judges.
Can I submit in a language other than English?
The submission form, registration form, presentation, and in-app text are required to be in English. The video may be recorded in any language, but must contain English closed captions or subtitles.
Prizes
Will all participants receive a participation certificate?
All participants who successfully complete the registration form, submission form, and participation survey will be awarded digital certificates. If any of these items are incomplete, a certificate will not be issued. Note that the participation survey will be sent out after the submission deadline this year.
Can you send me a participation certificate for a past appathon?
We are unable to provide certificates for past competitions at this time.
How many winners will be awarded in this competition?
A total of six submissions will be recognized as winners, with one winner per category (Junior Individual, Junior Team, Youth Individual, Youth Team, All-Ages Individual, All-Ages Team).
What is the prize for winning?
Winners will receive the following:
- Official certificates signed by MIT App Inventor and the App Inventor Foundation
- Feature in official press from MIT App Inventor and the App Inventor Foundation
- Invitations to present their projects at the MIT App Inventor Global Education Summit on July 6-8, 2026.
Note: Due to new visa restrictions by the US government, we will not be able to invite all winners to present in person at MIT. If winners are not able to enter the US, we will ask them to present remotely. Unfortunately, we are not able to pay for participants’ travel or accommodation expenses in 2026.
Will honorable mentions be awarded?
A select number of honorable mentions will be awarded. Honorable mentions will be invited to present their work at the MIT App Inventor Global Education Summit and will receive a separate certificate from the winners.