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 am building an app playground for SSC'25 where I want to use Multipeer Connectivity framework that would allow me to send and receive data to and from stranger devices. I also want to use some other open-source packages for some of the features. I just wanted to know if we are allowed to use or not?

Good day, I want to make an application to use which will need a second person. he plays an important role and affects the operation of the application Will such an app be eligible for Swift Student Challenge. Am I correct in understanding that if yes, I need to mention it in the application?

The app I am developing required me to do a bit of research to train my AI if I am explicitly using something from an article, for example lets say I used a quote about climate change from a news website, is that allowed, and would I have to site it either in my documentation or somewhere in the app?

I intend to participate in the Swift Student Challenge 25. I see Rules, It is mentioned that Playgrounds works should be a work that can be experienced in three minutes. However, my work does not meet this requirement. Create an interactive scene in an app playground that can be experienced within three minutes. Initially, my work was not intended for the Challenge but for the App Store. However, I decided to submit it to the Challenge, and my work and I met the requirements of the Challenge. Therefore, my work is a complete application, which makes it impossible for the judges to experience it within three minutes. It may take more time. Does this have any impact?

Swift Playgrounds 4.5.1 does not support Swift 6. I used Xcode 16 to develop my Swift Playgrounds, and I had to use @available(iOS 18.0, *) in a lot of cases. Will this void my application?

In the instructions, it states that you need to submit an essay for the question. Am I to answer all the questions in the form of my essay? I do not see a place to submit an essay.

Hey, I was wondering if judges will use physical devices or simulated ones to judge out entries. Furthermore, what types of devices will the destination run on? (iPad, iPhone, Mac, etc)

I am interested in participating in the Swift Student Challenge. My application contains a significant amount of augmented reality (AR) content, necessitating access to the camera. It is evident that if the reviewer utilizes a simulator or operates on a Mac, they will not be able to experience the AR function. Therefore, the AR function in the camera experience application must be utilized to access a real iPad. However, it is mentioned in https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/773530 that the plan is to evaluate Xcode app playgrounds within the simulator. Additionally, I observed the statement “Note: Xcode app playgrounds are executed in Simulator” on the submission page. Consequently, it is clear that the reviewers are limited to using a simulator or running my application on a Mac. In light of this, I am seeking guidance on how to enable the reviewer to utilize a real iPad to access the AR function in the camera experience application. Alternatively, I may need to reconsider my strategy and discontinue utilizing AR.

I'm preparing my submission for the Swift Student Challenge, and I have a couple of questions regarding the development environment. Is it allowed to use Xcode to program my scene, or do I have to use Swift Playgrounds? Can I use iPadOS 18 for development? I noticed that Swift Playgrounds currently only supports up to iPadOS 17.5, but I would like to use RealityView, which is only available starting from iPadOS 18. I appreciate any clarification on this. Thanks in advance!

I'm working on my submission for the Swift Student Challenge and I have some questions regarding the use of existing code. Can I use code provided by Apple in their official resources? For example, Apple recently shared a video on custom shaders (https://developer.apple.com/videos/play/wwdc2024/10151), and I’d like to implement a ripple effect using a Metal shader similar to the one demonstrated. Would this be allowed? Am I allowed to use solutions found on developer forums like Stack Overflow, as long as I properly document and reference them in my code? Or does all the code need to be fully original? I’d appreciate any clarification on these points. Thanks in advance!

I intend to participate in the Swift Student Challenge. A link is provided within my application that directs users to an Internet HTML web page. Link(destination: URL(string: "https://url.com")!) { Label("Developer Website - .....com", systemImage: "arrow.right") .shadow(color: Color.white ,radius: 50) } This URL corresponds to my personal web page. Although it is not directly related to the experience interaction within the application, I have decided to include it as it serves as a logo and demonstrates my proficiency in HTML. However, the challenge’s rules stipulate that the evaluation environment is not permitted to connect to the Internet. Consequently, I am concerned that my work may be rejected due to its perceived incompleteness or errors. So should I keep it? Thanks!

Hello!!in the terms of swift challenge say that is required to be enroledl to the apple developer program paid or free version (to join to developer programs you need to be under 18 years old).How over 18 years old can join to swift challenge if he can't make apple developer account.

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As of June 28, 2023, South Korea has standardized its age-counting system to align with international norms, meaning that the traditional "Korean age" system is no longer used in official contexts. According to the SSC eligibility criteria, I found that participants from South Korea must be at least 14 years old. I'm confused whether if the eligibility criteria has applied this. (I'm 13 in global, which means that I could join the SSC if I was born in the US) With the recent change in age calculation, this requirement refers to my international age.. I am wondering if I still have to wait one more year.. Please be free to give more information if you know..

Can we use ai tools like chat gpt or claude if major part of the code is written by us?

Hi, I’m a 2 time Swift Student Challenge Winner (2021 and 2022). I was under 18 when I won the challenges, but I recently turned 18 and want to redeem my free Apple Developer Program Membership benefits. However, I had problems with my Apple Developer Account, so I contacted Apple Developer Support and they told me that there was something wrong with my Apple Account and they didn't know anything bout Swift Student Challenge Apple Developer Program Memberships. When I try to click the “enroll” button on the Apple Developer Website all it says is "Your enrollment in the Apple Developer Program could not be completed at this time.” I emailed swiftstudentchallenge[at]apple.com but didn't get a reply back either. I was wondering if anyone could direct me to someone who I could contact to resolve this issue.

I am currently filling out the Swift Student Challenge form, and I have two questions that I hope to get clarified: One of the options asks, “Did you use open source software, other than Swift?” I would like to know what is meant by “open source software” in this context. Does it refer to IDEs (like Xcode) or programming languages and frameworks (such as Python, ARKit)? Are Apple frameworks (e.g., SwiftUI, ARKit, etc.) and certain third-party tools (such as Xcode, Blender, etc.) considered “open source software”? I would like to provide a demo video to ensure that the reviewers can use the app properly and experience all of its features in the shortest amount of time. For certain reasons, I do not plan to play the video directly in the App Playground. Instead, I intend to include a link in the “Comments” section at the end of the form, which will redirect to a webpage (requiring an internet connection) containing the demo video. Will the reviewers be able to view the link and access the video as intended? I would greatly appreciate any responses to these questions!

Hi. I've been developing an app that uses Mapkit. Is Mapkit allowed in the Swift Student Challenge? If not, does anyone know of any offline alternatives to Mapkit or a way to make mapkit offline? I've been developing my app for way too long until I questioned whether its allowed. Thanks, Creeper25

I am currently preparing my submission for the Swift Student Challenge, and my app playground is quite comprehensive. Based on my estimations, it may take approximately 4 to 5.5 minutes for the reviewers to fully experience the interactive elements of my app. Every component is integral to the overall experience, and I would prefer not to remove any content, as each part not only contributes to the overall interactivity but also effectively demonstrates my abilities across different technical and creative domains. However, I noticed the guideline on https://developer.apple.com/swift-student-challenge/eligibility stating that the interactive scene should be “experienced within three minutes.” While this does not appear to be a main requirement, my app playground significantly exceeds this timeframe. Could you kindly clarify whether exceeding the three-minute guideline could result in my submission being rejected, or if it might negatively impact the evaluation process? I would greatly appreciate any insights you can provide. Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to your response.