News
2026 Global Appathon Impact Report
The 2026 Global Appathon brought together people of all ages from around the world to build mobile apps that address real problems in their communities. Inspired by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, participants used MIT App Inventor to turn personal experience, local knowledge, and technical creativity into practical solutions.
Japanese TV Highlights Student Apps Recognized at the MIT App Inventor Summit
Two award-winning App Inventor projects from Japan recently got some well-deserved attention from local television.
World Bank Group Innovation Award for “Small AI in a Suitcase”
We're excited to share that Small AI in a Suitcase project has been recognized with The World Bank Group Innovation Award for 2026!
Students Worldwide Use MIT App Inventor to Build Apps for Social Good Powered by AWS
Through free global access to MIT App Inventor, powered by AWS technology, students and educators around the world create mobile apps that address real-world community needs.
MIT App Inventor team hosts workshop with Phillips Exeter summer program for educators
The MIT App Inventor team welcomed 35 teachers from the Phillips Exeter summer program for educators (“Teaching in the Age of AI”) at the MIT Stata Center.
More Than Code: Supporting and Inspiring Women in Engineering
“That's an inspiration for how the global App Inventor community is working to create a welcoming environment, through meaningful, hands-on experiences.”
Blocks, AI, and Access: App Inventor at the 2026 Blockly Summit
A fantastic two days of learning and sharing with the blocks-based programming community.
Building Sakhi: Preserving Community Wisdom Through MIT App Inventor
“MIT App Inventor made it possible to focus on the user experience instead of getting slowed down by traditional mobile development.”
Meet the Winners of the 2026 Global Appathon
2,176 participants from 141 countries and regions joined the Global Appathon to create mobile apps that address real-world challenges through the lens of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Coding, AI and Pie: Technovation Girls Workshop at MIT
On Pi Day, MIT App Inventor welcomed 20 middle and high school students from the greater Boston area for a Technovation Challenge 2026 workshop, where they learned to build beginner-friendly AI-powered apps.
Winners Spotlight: Q&A with Move to Heal, XôDengue, and VIPMOD
Three App Inventor competition winners dive deep into their projects, from how they got started to what software they used to how they overcame unexpected challenges.
Computational Action in Practice: Japan’s Regional Appathon Finalists Announced
Ten finalist teams ranging from elementary school students to high school sophomores advance to the National Finals taking place in Tokyo, Japan, on March 1, 2026.
My Coding Journey at the Navajo Nation (Chinle, AZ)
“These projects demonstrated the students' deep understanding of the needs and challenges facing their local communities, as well as their ability to leverage App Inventor to create impactful, practical solutions using the Computational Action process.“
Hal Abelson Receives OEGlobal 2025 Lifetime Achievement Award for Open Education
Hal Abelson has been selected to receive a special 2025 Lifetime Achievement Award for Excellence for his leadership in open education. The award is presented by Open Education Global (OEGlobal), a worldwide community that seeks to transform education systems everywhere by fostering a movement foregrounding openness in all aspects of education.
How Congress Taught Students to Build AI Apps in a Day
In just one afternoon using AI tools, students built working prototypes addressing real-world challenges such as reducing food waste, supporting classroom learning, and monitoring harmful algal blooms.
From Local Communities to the World: Japan Wagamama Awards 2026 Announced
The Japan Wagamama Awards 2026 invites teenagers to take their own or their loved ones’ “hidden wishes” (Wagamama) and transform them into apps and community projects that improve local communities.
Coding a Future of Possibilities
Yashaswini, a ninth-grade student from Hoskote, India, used MIT App Inventor to create the Unified Identity App (UIA)—a tool designed to track school dropouts and support their return to the classroom.
Participants Worldwide Tackle UN SDGs in Second Annual AI Hackathon
Over 1,300 participants from 86 countries and regions used AI tools to develop mobile apps addressing the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals in a six-week virtual event.
Empowering educators and learners to take climate action
“I hope…[MIT App Inventor’s] project empowers students from all backgrounds to use data collection and analysis to better understand real-world issues, including complex challenges like climate change.”
App Inventor Goes to FOSDEM ‘25
The App Inventor team gave a number of talks and workshops at the 25th FOSDEM conference, from teaching young children to use MIT App Inventor to introducing developers to physical computing.