Apple’s Swift Student Challenge, an annual competition for students to showcase creativity and coding skills, opens in February 2024. Since 2020, it has united students globally in using Swift, the programming language used by professionals, to create innovative apps.
The upcoming challenge will feature a new category for 50 Distinguished Winners.
Apple collaborates with educators globally, facilitating Swift Playgrounds teaching through four new Everyone Can Code Projects. These projects offer step-by-step resources to guide students in developing essential skills while solving real-world problems.
The Community Education Initiative, extending support to learners in 99 countries and regions, involves organizations like the National Coalition of Certification Centers (NC3).
NC3 provides professional development to instructors, preparing them to teach App Development with Swift and assisting more students in submitting projects for the Swift Student Challenge in 2024.
Apple’s Everyone Can Code Projects, integrated into various subjects, introduces SwiftUI and the latest app-building technologies in Swift Playgrounds. New projects include designing app prototypes, coding self-portraits or artworks, creating custom shapes, and designing unique app icons.
Further, Swift Playgrounds 4.4, with support for Swift 5.9 and SDKs for iPadOS 17 and macOS Sonoma, is now available.
During the three-week window in February 2024, students can submit their app playgrounds for the Swift Student Challenge, with 50 Distinguished Winners gaining an invitation to Apple’s headquarters and all winners receiving a one-year membership in the Apple Developer Program.
Regarding the matter, Susan Prescott, Apple’s vice president of Worldwide Developer Relations and Education & Enterprise Marketing, said,
At Apple, we believe that everyone can learn to code and build apps, and we’re proud to support and recognise aspiring student developers with the Swift Student Challenge each year.
We know that students are eager to learn coding skills to solve challenges they care about — whether it’s building an app to help peers identify mental health resources or supporting sustainability efforts on campus — and want to know how to get started. Apple is releasing new coding resources for students and educators, working with our community partners on dedicated Swift programming, and sharing advance notice of the Swift Student Challenge timeline for 2024. We can’t wait to see the app playgrounds students submit next year.