Apple's WWDC 2025 Swift Student Challenge Starts on February 3

[MacRumors]

The 2025 Swift Student Challenge that's taking place ahead of WWDC is set to begin on Monday, February 3, Apple announced today on its developer website.

With the Swift Student Challenge, students from around the world can showcase their coding skills and creativity by developing app concepts using Swift Playgrounds or Xcode. The contest also provides students with the chance to learn real-world skills that can be used in their future careers.

Apple plans to host an online session that will provide students and educators with more information on participating in the Swift Student Challenge. The session will explore the elements of great apps with an Apple engineer, provide tips from a former Challenge winner, and offer inspiration for app playgrounds. Apple has also updated Develop in Swift Tutorials to help students learn the foundations of coding.

Apple said it will select 350 winners based on "innovation, creativity, social impact, or inclusivity." 50 of the winners will be invited to spend three days at Apple Park in Cupertino, California this summer. The trip generally coincides with Apple's annual WWDC event, which is often held in June.

Back in October, Apple gave students a heads up that the Swift Student Challenge would take place in February, but exact dates weren't provided at the time. Submissions will open on February 3, 2025, and will remain open for a three-week period.

Article Link: Apple's WWDC 2025 Swift Student Challenge Starts on February 3

 

[WestonHarvey1]

ChatGPT will win. Maybe Claude.

 

[macfacts]

ChatGPT will win. Maybe Claude.

Maybe copilot will win. Sad the iPad pro can't run xcode when a Chromebook can run MS visual studio code.

 

[Astuces iOS]

ChatGPT will win. Maybe Claude.

How ChatGPT will win? It’s not made by a student 😂 I am going to win this!

 

[bobone]

Maybe copilot will win. Sad the iPad pro can't run xcode when a Chromebook can run MS visual studio code.

Why is it sad? MS visual studio code is slow as molasses.

 

[freekorps]

IDK

 

[CiP12]

The most interesting thing about this announcement is that submissions will have to be made with Swift Playgrounds 4.6 or Xcode 16, per the Apple Developer website.

The latest version of Swift Playgrounds currently is 4.5.2, released 7 months ago, still on the iOS 17.5 SDK. So Swift Playgrounds 4.6 will probably include the iOS 18.2/18.3 SDK, Swift 6.0, and is going to release before February 3rd (Or might release alongside iOS 18.3). Took them long enough…

 

[mansplains]

Maybe copilot will win. Sad the iPad pro can't run xcode when a Chromebook can run MS visual studio code.

Both iPhone and iPad can run visual studio code web within safari fwiw. Whether someone would want to on iPhone, however... There are some limitations like lacking local file access.

 

[Astuces iOS]

The most interesting thing about this announcement is that submissions will have to be made with Swift Playgrounds 4.6 or Xcode 16, per the Apple Developer website.

The latest version of Swift Playgrounds currently is 4.5.2, released 7 months ago, still on the iOS 17.5 SDK. So Swift Playgrounds 4.6 will probably include the iOS 18.2/18.3 SDK, Swift 6.0, and is going to release before February 3rd (Or might release alongside iOS 18.3). Took them long enough…

Yeah for example I know someone who is using swift 6 but there is no swift 6 in playgrounds…

 

[macfacts]

Both iPhone and iPad can run visual studio code web within safari fwiw. Whether someone would want to on iPhone, however... There are some limitations like lacking local file access.

running in safari is just running a "remote desktop" session.

 

[macfacts]

Why is it sad? MS visual studio code is slow as molasses.

its sad cause apple makes xcode (so there isn't any license problems), and the m4 ipad pro is fast enough. The only reason not to is cause then tim loses a mac sale.

 

[Astuces iOS]

its sad cause apple makes xcode (so there isn't any license problems), and the m4 ipad pro is fast enough. The only reason not to is cause then tim loses a mac sale.

Yeah we want Xcode on iPad, the m4 iPad Pro is enough powerful!

 

[Algr]

Sorry for the newbie question, I haven't been following Swift lately. Is Apple still developing it? They have a tendency to get distracted and abandon stuff like this.

If you write a program in Swift, can Windows users run it?

 

[CiP12]

Sorry for the newbie question, I haven't been following Swift lately. Is Apple still developing it? They have a tendency to get distracted and abandon stuff like this.

If you write a program in Swift, can Windows users run it?

Apple’s still developing Swift, they released Swift 6.0 at WWDC24.
Swift itself supports Windows, but Swift programs compiled for macOS will not run on Windows. Additionally, Swift for Windows has basically no built in frameworks as many of those are Apple proprietary code. If you really want to though, you can write a Windows program using only Swift.