Apple has officially launched the 2025 Swift Student Challenge, inviting students from around the globe to showcase their creativity and coding skills by developing app concepts using Swift Playgrounds or Xcode.
A Yearly Challenge Eagerly Anticipated by Students
The Swift Student Challenge is an annual event hosted by Apple to foster emerging development talent. Unlike previous years, which aligned with the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), the 2025 edition starts earlier in the year, giving students more time to develop their projects.
Participants are tasked with creating an innovative app concept using the Swift Playground app. Apple provides “Develop in Swift” tutorials to help them learn the basics of coding. This year’s challenge emphasizes innovation and social impact.
Cupertino will select 350 winners based on criteria such as innovation, creativity, social impact, and inclusivity. Among them, 50 winners will have the opportunity to visit Apple Park in Cupertino, California, for a three-day immersive experience, expected to coincide with WWDC 2025.
Typically, this challenge also offers the chance to win various products (like AirPods Max in 2024) and Apple-branded merchandise (some of which may quickly appear on eBay, or even later at a renowned auction house), as well as a bit of fame to kickstart a professional career!
Registration is Now Open!
Students interested in participating can submit their projects starting today, until February 23, 2025. Registration will remain open for three weeks, after which Apple’s panel will begin evaluating the submissions. For more details and to register, participants can visit the dedicated Apple website. Be sure to check the eligibility requirements there!