Swift Student Challenge

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What devices will the Swift Student Challenge be judged on?
My project requires the on-device apple intelligence models (FoundationModels) which are only available for iPad on iPad Pro M1 and later, iPad Air M1 and later, iPad mini A17 Pro. If they don't judge on one of these devices, my project might not work properly as FoundationModels is a pretty big part of my project. For this reason I really need to know what devices the Swift Student Challenge will be judged on.
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Providing pre-filled sample data for reviewer experience in Swift Student Challenge: Is it recommended?
Hi everyone, I am currently developing an app for my Swift Student Challenge submission. One of the key features of my app is visualizing user progress over time using SwiftData and Swift Charts. I have a concern regarding the first-time experience for the reviewer. Since the app relies on accumulated data to display meaningful trends, the dashboard/charts will appear empty on the very first launch, which might not fully showcase the visualization logic I’ve implemented. To ensure the reviewer can immediately grasp the app's potential within their limited review window, I am considering generating pre-populated sample data (mock data) only on the initial launch. Does Apple generally recommend including sample data in a challenge submission to better demonstrate UI/UX and data visualization capabilities? Or is it strictly preferred to present a "fresh" empty state, as a real first-time user would see it? I want to make sure I am following the best practices for the challenge while highlighting my technical implementation of the SwiftData and Charts frameworks. Thank you in advance for your advice!
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Swift Student Challenge Questions
Hey there! I have a few questions about the Swift Student Challenge: Is it acceptable to include placeholders for features that aren’t supported by Swift Playgrounds, or features I planned but didn’t have time to fully implement (as long as the core experience works)? My app relies a lot on user inputs. Is it okay to include a button that loads sample data for reviewers, or is there a preferred approach for this? Besides the known constraints (< 25 MB, experienceable within ~3 minutes), are there any other limits, e.g. lines of code or overall app complexity Can AI-generated assets (e.g. images) be used if they’re clearly labeled as such inside the app? Do we need to explicitly document where AI was used (assets, code, etc.) as part of the submission? My app uses the Foundation Model: On what device is the submission evaluated and should the usage of the Foundation Model be explicitly marked for reviewers? Thanks a lot, and sorry for the many questions!
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Swift Student Challenge – Using iOS 26 APIs + Camera Input in Xcode App Playgrounds (Simulator Limitation)
Hi, I’m working on my Swift Student Challenge submission using iOS 26 APIs (FoundationModels) along with AVFoundation + Vision to capture user input and generate feedback. Since Swift Playgrounds doesn’t support FoundationModels framework, I’m using an Xcode App Playground, but I heared that submissions are reviewed in the Simulator, which doesn’t support live camera feed. I’m unsure how to handle this. Looking for guidance on the recommended approach. Thanks!
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How will my app be tested in the Swift Student Challenge?
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!
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Feb ’25
Swift playgrounds and display orientation swift student challenge submission
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?
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Feb ’25
Winner's visa issue
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.
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Feb ’25
Which device is used to test Swift Student Challenge submissions?
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.
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Feb ’25
Swift Student Challenge Devices / Simulator preferred building device
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?
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Feb ’25
Shortcuts Automatic, App Shortcuts and FocusStatus in Playground work
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!
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Feb ’25
Metal not working in Swift Playgrounds (SSC Scene)
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!
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Dec ’25
Bundle Display Name Swift Playgrounds
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) } }
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Feb ’25
Swift Student Challenge
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!
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Dec ’25
Swift student challenge- help
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 :)
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App Idea Requires Sign-In
Hello Apple Developer community! While reading the SSC Full Terms and Conditions, I noticed that "Your app playground requires sign in" is a term for disqualification. If our app idea requires sign in for personalization and security, can we submit a prototype without the sign in feature and add it later before publishing the app? Or should we steer clear of app ideas that require sign in altogether?
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Is it safe to manually edit Package.swift (iOS Version & Orientation) for SSC 2026?
Hi everyone, I am working on my submission for the Swift Student Challenge 2026 using a Swift App Playground (.swiftpm). The default project was set to iOS 16, but I manually edited the Package.swift file to change the minimum version to iOS 18.0 so I can use the latest APIs. I also modified the supportedInterfaceOrientations to lock the app to Portrait mode only. I know the file contains a warning saying "Do not edit it by hand," so I am worried about two things: Disqualification: Will manually changing the iOS version from the default 16.0 to 18.0 cause any issues with the submission validator or the judging environment? Orientation: Is it acceptable to strictly force .portrait mode for the challenge, or are we required to support landscape/responsive layouts for the judges' iPads? I want to make sure these manual changes won't technically invalidate my playground. Thanks for your help!
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