Swift Student Challenge Submissions Now Open Ahead of WWDC 2026 - MacRumors
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Swift Student Challenge Submissions Now Open Ahead of WWDC 2026

Apple today announced that submissions for the 2026 Swift Student Challenge are now open through Saturday, February 28.

2026 Swift Student Challenge
The annual Swift Student Challenge gives eligible student developers around the world the opportunity to showcase their coding capabilities by using the Swift Playground or Xcode apps to create an interactive "app playground."

Apple said winners will be selected based on submissions that "demonstrate excellence in innovation, creativity, social impact, or inclusivity." A subset of Distinguished Winners with "truly exceptional" submissions will be invited to visit Apple in Cupertino, California for three days in summer 2026, with travel and lodging included.

Distinguished Winners are typically invited to attend Apple's annual developers conference WWDC, at the company's Apple Park headquarters. Apple has yet to announce WWDC 2026 dates, but the weeklong conference is typically held in June.

WWDC 2026 is where Apple will announce iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS 27, watchOS 27, tvOS 27, visionOS 27, and other software updates.

Apple outlined key things to know on its developer news page.

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Top Rated Comments

8 months ago
Would be a lot cooler if they called it the Taylor Swift Student Challenge.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
8 months ago
How are they going to prove the student's swift code wasn't written by AI? A checkbox on the submission form?
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)