Swift Student Challenge 2026 Submission Tips

If you've read my original post on writing a strong Swift Student Challenge submission, you will notice something that is immediately different when reading through the 2026 submission questions. (This post builds on the tips in the original post, so if you haven't yet, I'd recommend reading that first).

The questions this year are a little different, in my opinion, in a good way. It's a nice reframe from "show us what you built" into "tell us how and why you built this".

In previous years, questions were more app-centric and focused heavily on what you built, the technologies used, and how it worked. These definitely still matter and are still reflected in the prompts for this year, but the new 2026 questions also seem to focus on your intent, accessibility, and the impact that your project (and you, as a developer) have beyond the screen.

General submission questions

There are several questions when you submit that are fairly generic and that I will skip over, including your name, email, phone number, age, and student status.

A quick callout: there is a question about the "name" of your playground (this is a fun space to be creative), and there is space for 3 screenshots. (more tips on naming in my original post)

Don't forget to check the full eligibility criteria to see if there's anything you missed or that you want to change to ensure eligibility.

Problems and inspirations

I love this question. Why? It's not just asking you 'what did you build', but it specifically hints at a more personal response that allows you to explain the problem you saw (perhaps in your own life, in your community, etc) and also why the problem resonates with you as a developer enough that you wanted to build something to tackle it.

This seems to be a great opportunity to start with a moment, observation or a lived experience that gives a glimpse into your backstory as a developer.

Tips:

• Try and avoid being vague with your statements (avoid something like "I wanted to help people".) Sentences that explain the impact might work better.
• It's probably okay if the problem is small/niche, the impact on a smaller user subset can still be astronomical in enabling software access for everyone.
• i.e “I noticed my younger sibling struggled with managing anxiety before exams, which inspired me to build a simple, distraction-free breathing and focus app…”

Designing with intention

This question matters because it's where the judges get to form an opinion on your ability to design thoughtfully, and it gives you an opportunity to clearly explain the demographic your project is designed for. It shows that you designed your submission around an individual, or group of individuals, to solve a human problem.

It also provides a great way to shine some light on your personal values, as well as how you see the outcome of your solution. It differs in the first question in that it allows you to go deeper on not just what you built but what the actual human outcome is.

(on a side note, it pairs really well with the first question to form a product narrative, which is really a really important concept to grasp if you're ever interested in pitching an app to investors in the future.)

Tips:

• The question has two of the magic W words in it – who and how. Saying "students" or "people" might not be enough.
• This is a great opportunity to show that you understand the audience, in what situation, and why it matters.
• Think about the users who might benefit from your app indirectly as well (also known as Secondary users), and tie back to real situations.
• i.e "This app is designed for high-school students with dyslexia, helping them consume educational content through audio-first interactions to improve learning outcomes whether inside or outside of the classroom"

Accessibility Always

Apple has always been serious about Accessibility. This is a huge win not just for the millions of end-users who benefit from the great system-level features every day, but also for developers who are trying to build a great app experience.

For those looking for a little inspiration, check out Apple's accessibility site and also their Developer Accessibility docs. Some good answers to this question might mention:

• Dynamic Type
• VoiceOver
• Colour contrast & reduced motion
• Alternative input methods

The great news is that for many students leveraging SwiftUI, a lot of these features come out of the box (or can be enabled fairly easily), allowing you to build more accessible apps.

Tips:

• Accessibility shouldn't just be something that you "add at the end for the sake of it". Show that it actually shaped decisions in your design an development process.
• This question isn't asking for a list of 'what accessibility features are in your project'. It's asking how accessibility influenced your early design decisions, and if you considered people who might experience the world differently from you.
• This can also be a good place to callout what you have learnt about designing accessible experiences and mentioning any trade-offs that you have made.
• i.e "I tested the core experience of my project using VoiceOver early in the development stage, which led me to create a more simplified navigation and also reduce the need for gesture-only interactions"

Transparency

There's a couple of questions that ask about your usage of Open Source Software, Third-party content and AI tools. Answering yes to any of these questions will prompt additional questions about your usage.

I don't believe that there is a right or wrong answer here, as otherwise this would be stipulated in the terms/eligibility. It's fair to say that most people expect modern developers to use modern tools.

That said, Apple among other companies are generally pushing towards responsible tooling and transparency, particularly with AI and Open Source.

There's nothing wrong with disclosing, for example, if you used AI to generate imagery, text copy, audio, etc.

Tips:

• If you use AI in your project, disclose the tools/models that you used, and the benefits that this brought to you as a developer.
• This is a great spot to show where you have learnt about modern developer tooling and what works/doesn't work when trying to build with AI.
• A thoughtful use of AI/OSS could be a strength; you could explain how it helped your learning and/or creative process.

Oooh yeah, let's talk tech

This is the question to get into the nitty gritty of the tech that you're using. Don't forget about the technologies and features you're using in the more common frameworks such as SwiftUI.

Focus on:

• System frameworks (SwiftUI, Core ML, RealityKit, Vision, HealthKit, etc.)
• Design and creative tools (Figma, GarageBand, Final Cut Pro, etc)
• AI/Automation Tools
• Development tools (Create ML)

Make sure to explain why the technology choice was appropriate, keeping in mind what you wrote for the impact questions earlier. Tie the technical decisions back to the real-world user experience and impact, where you can.

Tips:

• Don't just mention the framework, explain why you chose it and what particular technologies within it you're using.
• If you're using technologies that make great use of the hardware (such as Foundation Models) that leveraging an on-device neural engine, this can also be useful to mention.
• Don't just stuff buzzwords in for the sake of it (save that for when you pitch to eager investors 😉).
• This question is asking about what you did use (not just what you could use), so it can also be helpful to talk about the technical constraints and decision making here as well.
• i.e “I chose Core ML for its ability to run my machine learning model on-device, allowing me to preserve user privacy, create a real-time experience and reduce inference cost…”.

It's about you, too!

Some variant of this question usually ends up in the submission questionnaire and it's a great space to talk a little bit more about your passion for coding and computer science, with a zoomed out perspective from just the project you are putting forward.

The question itself has nothing to do with your actual submission. It's actually about you and your lived experience in the realm of teaching, mentoring, sharing and supporting others in your community; even if you've helped one person learn Swift, that still matters.

Here are some examples to get you started:

• Tutoring your friends on coding at school
• Building an app for your sports club 
• Learning how to code collaboratively with friends (Coding Clubs)
• Building prototype apps to inspire others to get into App Development
• Participating in Hackathons
• Acting as a mentor in STEM, robotics, or a digital technologies program
• Creating guides for classmates learning SwiftUI
• Supporting classmates with implementing features such as VoiceOver or Dynamic Type
• Prototyping ideas for issues within your community (i.e your school)
• Answering questions on discord servers, or elsewhere online

Example:

“I helped start a weekly Swift Coding Club at my school, where I supported beginners through their first SwiftUI projects…”

Additional questions and final thoughts

There are still some questions around the App Store and Social Media. These questions are optional, but they are a great place to provide some additional context into your story, and showcase if you have any social/online presence where you share your coding knowledge.

Make sure to proofread your submission carefully. The 2026 questions focus a lot more on why you built your submission, not just what you built. Make sure that your responses are clear and that you're within the word limits.

Don't leave it to the last minute. It can also be helpful to keep a running note of decisions that you make, tradeoffs, etc. as this can help you formulate your responses as well.

It can also be helpful to ask for feedback from both technical and non-technical friends and family. Technical friends may be able to check over your technical responses and questions, while non-technical friends can be great at validating your intent, impact and story based responses.

If you want to work on your responses over time (recommended), start an a note in the Notes app and copy and paste them over when you're ready to submit. This will give you time to work on it, but just keep in mind the word count.

As a last remark, have fun! If you've built something that you're proud of and can explain why it matters to you and/or your community, you're already answering the questions Apple actually care about and are onto something great and should be proud.