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

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!

When I was working on my project for Swift Student Challenge, I found an interesting fact regarding camera access. If I create an App project on Xcode, the camera capture works well on it. However, if I copied and pasted the code on an App Playground project on Xcode, it crashed and output several errors. I am wondering why this is happening.

I was just filling the submission for the swift student challenge and there is a note below adding the zip file saying Note: Xcode app playgrounds are run in Simulator. Now my xcode app playground(.swiftpm) is an AR app and needs an ipad or an iphone to run . So will my submission still be eligible for assessment and checked on ipad???

Hello guys, I have a question regarding the submission requirements. My app uses ARKit and requires Metal files for shaders, which are not supported by Swift Playgrounds. Therefore, I developed my app using Xcode. (swift playgrounds returning error for metal file) Since my app relies on a real device for proper functionality, I would like to know if, under these circumstances, the scene build is performed by Xcode. If the build were instead done by Swift Playgrounds, my scene would not function correctly. I'm asking that because of this note Thank you for your time and assistance.

I have learned that the Swift Student Challenge will be reviewed by judges within three minutes of interaction. What I want to know is whether the three-minute limit is strictly enforced or if there is some flexibility for an extension. This is because I am creating an interactive game with different scenarios, and I need to manage the duration of my game accordingly. I hope to receive your reply as soon as possible.

Hi! I have a concern for the SSC: I worked on the Playground app, but on MacOS. My app has been developped to be firstly used on a mac, as the playground app let you directly download your app on you mac and act as a real one. When i wanted to submit, I noticed there is nowhere to specify whether your app should be tested on iPad or on MacBook. I saw Playground apps would be tested on an iPad, does it mean I have to refactor my app to work on one, or i can mention on a comment that it is a MacOS app, and should therefore be tested on a mac? Thanks for your help on this

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) } }

There’s only the page where I can see my email notification checklist or enrolling developer program.

Hello ! I submitted my project for the Swift Student Challenge at 22 of February, but I never received a confirmation email. I also checked my Apple Developer account, but there is no information about my submission. I used only one Apple ID to submit. I checked all folders on my Gmail.com and didn't find any message about confirmation. What should I do ?

Do you have some advice for me to learn Swift?SwiftUI first or Swift?

Please help me! I don't know how to write this.I tried many times, and I think it's right, but it always wrong.PLEASE!!

i am trying to build some projects please check out my project

what is that makes the TLS be the TLS/SErver ?

Hi there! I was planning on using a data set of summer college programs for my swift app submission and I'm currently working to get the best data possible, but its proving rather difficult. I was wondering if its acceptable to use mock data or just a smaller set of around 150 entries if i cant get a large enough quality data set in time. Also, i figure it is, but im not sure if its acceptable to use a python web scraper even though its a swift challenge. Thanks!

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!

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.

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!