YARMOUTH (NEWS CENTER Maine) --
Some young app developers and teachers who encourage them had their moment in the LCD sun on Sunday.
Tyler Technologies in Yarmouth hosted the awards ceremony for its Maine App Challenge.
Students had to create a mobile app and a video that showed off their work.
Michael Guertler of Yarmouth High School took first place in the contest.
He made an app called Crank Meter that gauges how fast a lacrosse shot is made.
Second place went to Tyler Hansen of South Portland High School who created a game focused around well-known women in STEM fields.
Third place went to Nathan Kiesmand and Noble Mustak from Marshwood High School who created an app for to help high schoolers through the day.
All of the winners received $10,000 scholarships.
“I feel pretty good,” said Mustak. “After watching all those different types of apps, I was impressed by everyone else and I'm just glad that we were able to compete at that level.”
For the first time, $500 checks were given by Tyler Technologies to schools that sent in the most contest entries.
Maine Central Institute and Biddeford Regional Center of Technology both received those awards.
“We have fantastically talented students here in Maine and I think for many of them, they just need exposure to the tech field and they need computer science education,” said Hannah Walden from Maine Central Institute.
“If we open those doors to them we are able to retain those students [in Maine.]