Aiming to encourage app development and celebrate the most creative participants, Apple's Swift Student Challenge is back and the winners will get to visit Apple Park.
As it has done now every year since 2020, Apple is running a Swift Student Challenge. Applications for the contest to find innovative new app developers are open now and close on February 28, 2026.
Applications are sought from students working with Swift Playground 4.6 or Xcode 26, or later. As well as only around two weeks to apply, there are many eligibility requirements.
But Apple expects to once again announce a total of 350 winners and while it hasn't specified a date yet, the results are typically unveiled in late March. Alongside the 350 winners, 50 will be selected as Distinguished Winners.
All winners will receive a special gift from Apple — previous prizes have included jackets and pins or in 2025 even AirPods Max— and one free year of membership in the Apple Developer Program.
The 50 Distinguished Winners will also get an expenses-paid invitation to Apple Park for an "inspiring" three days. Again, no dates have been announced yet, but the trip is typically in July, and in 2025 the winners got to watch the WWDC keynote live.
Together with the online application form, Apple has also launched a series of developer documentation to help students. That includes advice on getting started with Swift, and profiles of previous winners.
In 2025, the winners included ones from around the world, such as an astronomy app from Luciana Ortiz Nolasco in Mexico. There was an educational app teaching a card game by Taiki Hamamoto from Japan, and Marina Lee made an evacuation advice app to help people in California's wildfires.
"We're always inspired by the talent and perspective young developers bring to the Swift Student Challenge," said Susan Prescott, Apple's vice president of Worldwide Developer Relations after 2025's contest. "[We're] excited to support their journey as they continue building apps that will help shape the future."
