The College of Information Sciences and Technology is giving high school students the opportunity to develop solutions for real world problems. The ‘Propose An App’ Challenge, sponsored by the College of IST and IST Startup Week, encourages high school students to join together and design an app that addresses a wide-spread issue. All high schoolers are eligible to form a team and compete for the top prize of $5,000.

Officials from the College of IST believe that employers are challenging their employees more and more to think about technology-based solutions, and that the focus of the college should be centered around this idea. The College of IST wants to extend the support and resources they offer to Penn State students to high schoolers across the nation, and they believe this is the perfect way to do so.

Teams, which are comprised of three to five high school students and one adviser, can register online until Friday, December 11. The top 20 teams must be able to attend the final competition at Penn State, which will take place in April. Upon arrival, teams will meet with alumni and innovators who created successful start-ups of their own. The apps will also be reviewed during IST Startup Week as part of the judging process. The top three teams will present their designs to a panel of judges and an audience to determine the winner. The top team will walk away with $5,000, and the second and third placed teams will each receive “tech prizes.”

If you’re interested in finding out more about the challenge, check out the competition FAQs and guidelines.