Apple is launching the 2024 Swift Student Challenge, featuring a new category for 50 Distinguished Winners, in its ongoing effort to empower students in the world of coding and app development.
Image Credit: Apple
On Wednesday, Apple announced that it will be launching the Swift Student Challenge, furthering its dedication to empowering students all around the world to explore the world of coding and app development. The Swift Student Challenge, launched in 2020, provides a platform for students to showcase their coding skills and join a global community of Swift developers.
The 2024 Swift Student Challenge, set to commence in February, will introduce a new category that recognizes 50 Distinguished Winners for outstanding submissions. This initiative aims to bolster interest in coding and app development among students, as these skills are increasingly seen as valuable assets, whether students plan to work in the technology sector or other industries.
Susan Prescott, Apple's vice president of Worldwide Developer Relations and Education & Enterprise Marketing, emphasized Apple's commitment to supporting and acknowledging student developers, stating, "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."
To help educators facilitate app development for their students, Apple collaborates with educators globally. Apple has introduced four new Everyone Can Code Projects to assist educators in guiding students through the app development journey and honing their skills while creating apps that tackle real-world problems.
The introduction of four new Everyone Can Code Projects provides step-by-step resources for educators to teach students SwiftUI, modern user interface design, and app-building technologies, making it easier for students to grasp coding and app development concepts.
The new projects are:
- Design a Simple App: Students can create an app prototype in Keynote to learn the fundamentals of app design, practice rapid prototyping, and collect feedback, following the same steps as professional developers.
- Build with Stacks and Shapes: Students can take the first steps of building an app in Swift Playgrounds and code a self-portrait or a work of art using SwiftUI to learn the fundamentals of user interface design.
- Build Custom Shapes: Students can bring an app interface to the next level by designing a shape, learning how to plot the coordinates, and coding their custom shape using SwiftUI and the About Me sample app within Swift Playgrounds.
- Design an App Icon: Students can learn and apply app design principles to create a unique and memorable app icon that communicates an idea; practice rapid prototyping; collect feedback; and upload the icon to Swift Playgrounds to become part of an app.
Apple's new resources for teaching coding and app development, including the Everyone Can Code Projects, are now available in the Apple Education Community, where educators can access resources, connect with peers, and enhance their teaching methods. Swift Playgrounds 4.4 offers support for Swift 5.9, as well as SDKs for iPadOS 17 and macOS Sonoma.
Apple also supports educational partners in nearly 100 countries through its Community Education Initiative, such as the National Coalition of Certification Centers (NC3), which provides professional development opportunities for instructors to teach App Development with Swift. NC3 is committed to helping more students submit their app projects for the Swift Student Challenge in 2024.
Students interested in participating in the Swift Student Challenge can submit their app playgrounds during a three-week window in February 2024. Those interested in participating should sign up at Apple's developer website.
Out of the 350 winners, 50 Distinguished Winners will have the opportunity to visit Apple's headquarters in Cupertino, California, to connect with fellow winners and the Apple team. All winners will receive a one-year membership in the Apple Developer Program, enabling them to submit apps to the App Store and receive support from Apple.