Announcing the Swift Student Challenge 2026 Every year, Apple’s Swift Student Challenge celebrates the creativity and ingenuity of student developers from around the world, inviting them to use Swift and Xcode to solve real-world problems in their own communities and beyond. Learn more → https://developer.apple.com/swift-student-challenge/ Submissions for the 2026 challenge will open February 6 for three weeks, and students can prepare with new Develop in Swift tutorials and Meet with Apple code-along sessions. The Apple Developer team is here is to help you along the way - from idea to app, post your questions at any stage of your development here in this forum board or be sure to add the Swift Student Challenge tag to your technology-specific forum question. Your designs. Your apps. Your moment.

👋Hi This problem is related to SSC. I remember that the form submitted last year needed to be filled in with Xcode or Playground test, and it seems that it was also mentioned: • If you use Xcode, the judges may use Simulator to run. • If you use Playground, it's a real machine. But my work this time will encounter two limitations: It will use the framework/API only available in iPadOS 26 (so if it is a Playground environment, it may not run, playground can't use iPadOS 26 SDK) It will also use some content that must be real to run (such as ARKit), which means that Xcode Simulator is not good. So I would like to ask: Does this year's review allow you to compile and connect the iPad to the real machine? Or did I misremember last year's regulations? If the judge's environment is fixed (for example, only Playground or only Simulator), how should I adjust the submission method or implement the scheme? Looking forward to your reply, thank you.

What OS will a Swift Student Challenge submission run on? I want to use iOS 26 features but the version history for Swift Playground doesn’t show it being updated past the iOS 17.5 SDK. So, can I still use features from the iOS 26 SDK?

My app uses Foundation Models and Apple Pencil. The app runs great through Xcode; however, due to Apple Pencil support, it has to be run on a physical device. However, Swift Playgrounds on iPad doesn't support iOS 26. I was just wondering if this is something that can be mentioned in submission notes. eg. The app needs to be compiled in Xcode but run on a physical device.” Or should we expect iPadOS 26 support for Swift Playgrounds by the time of submission? Thank you!

Hello! i developed an app for the Swift Student Challenge and submitted it, can I publish it to the app store before it is judged.

Hello, is it allowed to use Foundation Model in the app? Will it work when launched on the jury's device, or will it not work because the jury will not enable Apple Intelligence?

👋Hi, I want to ask what equipment the auditors in SSC will use to evaluate students' playground, whether it is iPad pro and mac with camera, or something else. And what system will they use, iPadOS/macOS 26 or something else? Looking forward to your reply. Thank you

Hello all! My name is Luke, and I'm a 14 year old with a idea for SSC. This is my first SSC submission ever. I would like some feedback concerning a question. My app is an AI powered academic planner that helps you and your life. I won't give too much away, but I believe it's a really helpful concept. It uses a mini on-device LLM (built with simple if this word typed then do this logic) to help organize assignments. This is a real business I am building, and I put inside of my app simulated features such as the app saying "scanning your Google Classroom..", would this go against any terms and make the app less likely to win? I also have my app fully polished, and feels like an actual app and finished product, with demo assignments pre-loaded, and most stuff is placeholders. Should the app be more like a guided simulator? Such as "click here to see how this will be simulated in a final release" or again should it be polished? I just want some feedback, since I only have 3 minutes, and the app needs to be offline, I just want to improvise. Hopefully I can get some feedback from the community, and/or ex-winners! Thanks all! And good luck! :) - Luke

I hope you’re having a fantastic New Year and that your apps are doing great! This is my first time entering SSC , and I’m excited to share that I’m developing a screen timer app. The idea is to encourage you to take breaks by suggesting a run or workout instead of spending too much time on your screens. I was wondering, have anyone else included short videos or animations in their entries before? Also, could my screen time timer be running in the background? I know there are some limitations with integrations like HealthKit and Screen Time, which is why I’m using a regular countdown timer on the App Store as a prototype. I’m just trying to clarify the rules below to make sure that it’s all good to go : “If your submission includes any open source software, music, photos, artwork, or any other content that you do not have ownership rights in, you agree to (a) comply with all applicable licensing terms and copyright obligations and (b) provide an explanation of why it was used.” And regarding any tracking stuff in the disqualification section, whereas nothing in the app should include: “You track and/or insert analytics code in your App Store meant to identify or track judges’ activity while they review your App Store.” But my app will only have a simple timer in it.

Hello, I’m developing my project for the Swift Student Challenge and I have some questions about the platform it will be tested on. If I create an iOS app that uses ARKit, for example, will it be evaluated on a real iPhone or only in a simulator on a Mac? I ask this because some functionalities, such as camera-based augmented reality, don’t work properly in the simulator. I’d like to better understand the guidelines to ensure my project functions correctly during the evaluation. Thank you!

I was developing my app on Xcode and I saw in requirements it says “your submission must be an app playground (.swiftpm) I reckon I can develop in Xcode and then copy those files in playgrounds app, make some changes, for it to work. also I made my project in landscape mode in Xcode, in playgrounds can I lock display orientation through package.swift file or I should continue making me app in landscape mode and ask players to change their viewing orientation via a popup?

It was mentioned in the Swift Student Challenge that outstanding winners will have the opportunity to visit Apple Park in the United States. However, as a challenger from China who is not currently in the U.S., this means that if I receive the outstanding award, I will need to apply for a visa to travel to Apple Park. Since I am under 18, my guardian would also need to apply for a visa. Therefore, I would like to know if Apple provides visa assistance for outstanding winners and their guardians from China, or if we are responsible for applying for the visas on our own.

Hi there, I intend to submit an app playground for the Swift Student Challenge this year. I am currently using the Swift Playgrounds app to develop a playground. Now I understand that when submitting I can choose the option of having my app playground to be tested on Swift Playgrounds on either iPadOS or macOS. But I would also like to know on which screen size is my app going to be tested. Let's say I want my app playground to run on macOS, now is there a way to also select the MacBook model, like 14-inch or 16-inch? This would give the participants a better idea of where the app playground will be tested.

For the SSDC submission, the app playground must run on Swift Playgrounds 4.5+ or Xcode 16+. Key questions: In Swift Playgrounds, is the app tested on iPadOS or macOS? In Xcode 16+, is the playground tested using Mac Catalyst, an iPad simulator, or an iPhone simulator? The submission form only mentions a simulator but doesn’t specify which one. Can I build an app primarily for iPhone (portrait mode), or is it better to focus on iPad (landscape mode) if that’s the expected testing environment in all cases?

Hello everyone, I’m currently developing a Playground App for the Swift Student Challenge, and its core functionality relies heavily on Shortcuts Automation, App Shortcuts, and interactions with the Focus Mode status (e.g., reading Focus Status or execute Focus Filter). Before finalizing my submission, I’d like to clarify whether these features will function as expected during the review process. Specifically: Shortcuts Automation: My app uses custom shortcuts to trigger actions within the Playground. Will reviewers be able to test these shortcuts seamlessly, or do I need to provide explicit instructions for enabling/setting them up? App Shortcuts: The app integrates system-level App Shortcuts (via App Intents). Are these supported in the test environment, and will reviewers see them during testing? Focus Status Interaction: The app dynamically responds to changes in the device’s Focus Mode (e.g., adjusting UI and function based on FocusStatus). Does the evaluation environment allow access to Focus Status data, and are there restrictions on simulating Focus Mode changes? I want to ensure these features are testable and don’t lead to unexpected issues during review. Any insights or advice from past participants, mentors, or Apple experts would be greatly appreciated! Thank you in advance for your guidance!

Hi everyone, I'm currently working on a Swift Playgrounds project where I need to incorporate a Metal shader file. However, when I tried to include my shader file (PincushionShader.metal), I encountered the following error: Is it possible to use Metal shader files within Swift Playgrounds, it is really important for my swift student challenge scene? If not, are there any workarounds or recommended approaches for testing Metal shaders in a similar environment? Any guidance or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

I am attempting to use the AVSpeechSynthesizer to include text to speech in my Swift Playgrounds project, but when I attempt to use it on my IPhone i get the following errors: It works just fine on the simulator, but no audio is produced when I run it on-device. Is there a way to set this "bundle display name" within Swift Playgrounds, or are there any workarounds? My code: import AVFoundation class Speaker { let synthesizer = AVSpeechSynthesizer() func speak() { let utterance = AVSpeechUtterance(string: "Test, I am the speaker") synthesizer.speak(utterance) } }

I was wondering wether you have to create your full app as an Xcode app and then translate it into playgrounds? Because some of the submissions I have seen on YouTube are running on Xcode iPad emulators.

Hey, I am looking to participate in the upcoming SSC 2026. I am confused whether I am allowed to submit an idea which is for watchOS. I know the fact that submission would be xcode project and playground correct me if I am wrong but as far as I know, we can develop prototypes for watch on playground. If anyone of you knows about this, please let me know!

To whoever is bothered enough to help (trust me, I get the feeling if you're not), I want to enter the swift student challenge either this year or next year, depending on how things play out. Anyway, I just wanted to know two things: 1) how long on average it takes to build a project which won distinguished winner and 2) whether any distinguished winners could send me the playgrounds they built. To be clear, I do not want the code, I just want to know what you did, what you called the playground, a list of some features it had, how long it took, just to help me prepare, because YouTube doesn't have much of that. Thanks :)