Submitting Swift - Tips for writing a Swift Student Challenge Submission

When I was in high school, I started building iPhone apps. A lot has changed since then, and I've come a long way from dabbling with Xcode on my school-issued 11" MacBook Air.

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The Swift Student Challenge (formerly WWDC Scholarship) taught me not only about the craft of app development but also about the greatness of the software community.

I've met some incredible friends and have had numerous wins, fun attempts, and successes at building apps that push the envelope of what is possible due, in part, to the people and knowledge I gained from participating in the Swift Student Challenge.

So, to that end – I'm thrilled that if you're reading this, you're probably looking to submit to the Swift Student Challenge.

Having won the Swift Student Challenge four times previously, I've compiled some tips that will help you write a stronger, more compelling submission for the challenge.

"The Swift Student Challenge is an opportunity to showcase your creativity, problem-solving skills, and technical expertise. In addition to submitting an app playground, you must also answer a series of written questions that provide insight into your project and background."

Let's break it down: even for real-world App Store-published apps, there's so much more to selling an idea to someone than just writing beautiful code ;)

The good news is that your responses to the Swift Student Challenge submission aren't published, which can be a huge pressure relief! As developers, it's often easy for us to get excited about the technology, get wrapped up in the code, and forget that we need to do a little bit of product marketing and storytelling to convey our creation.

1. Name of Your App Playground

Keep it clear, concise, and memorable. For Apps on the App Store, Apple recommends choosing a simple, memorable name that is easy to spell and hints at what your app does. Be distinctive, and avoid names that use generic terms or are too similar to existing app names.

Tips:

• Ensure the name reflects the core function or theme of your app playground.
• This isn't necessarily an App Store name but is also a great way to concisely show creativity.

2. One-sentence description of your playground

Clearly define what your app does and the problem it solves. Avoid vague or overly technical language; you can think of this as similar to an elevator pitch.

• Example: “Sam Payments is an interactive app that gamifies the volunteering experience, enabling the secure collection of funds for charitable organisations right from your iPhone.”

3. Describing The User Experience and Technology Choices

Explain the core user experience (UX) you aimed for. Tell a story if you need to explain how your app functions. Explain at a high level how the technologies you chose complement the overall user experience or enabled you as a developer to create new technologies.

Tips:

• Critical Tip #1: Remember to highlight the Apple frameworks you used (e.g., SwiftUI, ARKit, CoreML) and why they were best suited for your project.
• Critical Tip #2: Building apps involves more than just the technologies we import in Xcode. Remember to mention other technologies you may have used to create your overall experience (for example, Garageband or Create ML).
• If you are looking for a list of frameworks to jog your memory, check out this list
• Mention AI tools you have used, even if your usage was purely creative, and how these benefited your developer experience.
• Example: “I used SwiftUI for its declarative syntax and seamless animations, ensuring an intuitive and responsive interface for young learners.”

4. Beyond the Swift Student Challenge

Remember to highlight how you’ve used coding to support a local organisation, school, or cause. These community contributions don't necessarily need to be anything significant! In fact, smaller groups and audiences may even have a more significant 1:1 impact.

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

Demonstrate impact through specific examples.

• Example: “I developed an app for my school’s tutoring program that allows students to schedule peer-to-peer coding lessons.”

5. Apps on the App Store (Optional)

If you have published apps, briefly summarize their functionality and purpose. You can also mention skills you learned while publishing an app in the App Store.

Technically, this question is optional. That said, in the past, Apple has featured student-made apps on the featured tab on the App Store. This can be a great way to get visibility for your apps (don't be shy!).

6. Comments (Optional)

You can use this to share any additional context or unique challenges you overcame. Keep it brief and relevant to your submission if you feel it necessary to include it.

This can be a good place to include other STEM skills you learned while preparing your Swift Student Challenge submission.

• Example: “I initially struggled with gesture-based interactions but refined them by iterating with Apple’s accessibility guidelines.”
• Example: "I did not have access to a MacBook while building this, so I had to use a Mac in the school computer lab"

Overall Tips

1. Make sure that you proofread your submission. It can be complicated to articulate technical and creative processes in a few hundred words. As the saying goes, dot the eyes and cross the tees.
2. Don't leave it to the last minute. To save time when writing up your submission, I recommend creating a simple note to document technical decisions, your rationale for making them, and other creative processes you took throughout your building process.
3. Ask for help from your peers, friends, and family to proofread your submission and provide suggestions. My advice in this post is entirely general, and each submission should be treated uniquely!
4. Don't stress. You've got this 🤜🤛

I hope these tips have been helpful to you, and I wish you all the best with submitting your playground for the challenge. Remember to keep your answers concise (it's not a school essay!), showcase your passion for programming and your creative idea, and highlight how your idea has real-world impact! Values-led submissions are more likely to leave a lasting impression on the judges.

Good luck! 🚀