Apple announced today that the 2027 Swift Student Challenge will officially open for submissions on February 8, 2027, with the submission window lasting three weeks.
The competition continues to target student developers worldwide, encouraging young people to demonstrate creativity and innovation through coding, with entries allowed across all six of Apple's operating system platforms.
According to the company, the 2027 Swift Student Challenge will further expand the creative space available to student developers. Participating students can use the Swift programming language to build apps for any of the iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, tvOS, and visionOS platforms and submit their work for judging.
At the same time, Apple will also host dedicated "Meet with Apple" sessions for student developers, helping participants learn how to use agentic coding features in Xcode and prepare for the Swift Student Challenge. These activities will also guide students on how to present their apps more clearly and vividly, improving their project presentation and communication skills.
About the Swift Student Challenge
The Swift Student Challenge is an annual coding competition held by Apple for student developers around the world, aimed at encouraging young people to learn the Swift programming language and turn their ideas into real applications using Apple's development tools. The event was previously closely tied to Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), and in recent years it has gradually developed an independent submission and judging cycle.
Participants typically need to use development tools such as Swift Playgrounds or Xcode to create app projects that showcase creativity, technical ability, and interaction design. Apple evaluates entries based on factors including innovation, creativity, social impact, and inclusivity, and selects the winners.
In previous editions, Apple also selected standout Distinguished Winners from among the winning students, inviting them to Apple Park in Cupertino, California, to take part in special activities and connect with Apple teams and other developers.
Through the Swift Student Challenge, Apple hopes to help more young developers enter the field of app development while cultivating a new generation of talent for its developer ecosystem.