Swift Student Challenge 2025 – A Golden Opportunity for Aspiring Developers
The Swift Student Challenge, organized by Apple, is an engaging event that offers thousands of students a chance to showcase their creativity and develop practical skills that will help build the foundation for their future careers. Since its inception in 2020, students participating in this challenge have joined a global community of developers utilizing Swift – the programming language recognized by industry professionals – to create innovative applications that break new ground.
This year, the Swift Student Challenge 2025 returns and is set to kick off on February 3rd. This edition promises a fresh perspective for developers. Participants will get to explore the essential elements that create an exceptional app while enhancing their skills with Apple, learning from industry experts and discovering how to find inspiration to create a personal app playground.
How to Participate in the Swift Student Challenge 2025?
The Swift Student Challenge is designed for student developers looking to hone their software development skills. To qualify for participation in the challenge, registrants must meet the following minimum requirements:
- Must meet the minimum age requirement as specified by their country or region:
- From 14 years old and above in Austria, Bulgaria, mainland China, Cyprus, Israel, Italy, Lithuania, South Korea, and Spain.
- From 15 years old and above in the Czech Republic, France, Greece, Peru, and Slovenia.
- From 16 years old and above in Brazil, Croatia, Denmark, Hungary, Ireland, Kosovo, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malaysia, the Netherlands, the Philippines, Poland, Romania, Singapore, and Slovakia.
- From 13 years old and above in other countries and regions.
- Must register for free with Apple as either an Apple developer or a member of Apple’s developer program;
- Must meet one of the following requirements:
- Enrolled in an accredited computer science program or equivalent program at an institution;
- Enrolled in a STEM education program;
- Enrolled in the Apple Developer Academy; or have graduated from high school or equivalent within the last 6 months and are waiting for acceptance or have been accepted into an accredited computer science program.
Notably, Apple will select 350 winners of the Swift Student Challenge, with outstanding submissions showcasing innovation, creativity, and positive social impact. Additionally, Apple will continue to recognize 50 Distinguished Winners for their exceptional work and invite them to participate in an event at Apple in Cupertino. All winners will receive a one-year membership in the Apple Developer Program, a unique prize from Apple, and much more.
Anyone can participate in the Swift Student Challenge, but only those selected will be recognized as Distinguished Winners.
For better preparation, students and educators can join an online session hosted by Apple. In this session, participants will learn how to engage in the Swift Student Challenge, explore the key elements that create an outstanding app, enhance their skills with Apple, gain insights from industry experts, and find inspiration to create their app playground. Additionally, updated resources such as Develop in Swift Tutorials will also be provided to assist students in mastering fundamental programming concepts and exploring creative applications on the Apple platform.
