Apple Opens Applications for Swift Student Challenge 2026: Know Dates, Eligibility, Rewards

Apple has opened applications for its annual Swift Student Challenge, a global competition for students who want to become developers. The Apple Swift Student Challenge 2026 application window will remain open till February 28, and interested individuals can apply for the same. The competition requires participants to develop an app that addresses one or more issues in their community and beyond, using tools provided by the tech giant. Each year, the company selects multiple winners who are invited to Apple's headquarters in Cupertino for three days.

Apple Swift Student Challenge 2026 Eligibility Criteria

In a post, the company shared the minimum eligibility criteria for the Swift Student Challenge 2026. The most important rule is that the participant cannot be employed full-time as a developer. Additionally, they should meet the minimum age requirement for their respective country. For India and the US, it is 13 years or older. In China, Israel, South Korea, and several European nations, the minimum age is 14. In other regions, the relevant jurisdiction applies.

Applicants must be currently enrolled in an accredited academic institution, a homeschool equivalent, a STEM organisation's curriculum, or an Apple Developer Academy. Alternatively, those who graduated within the past six months are eligible if they are awaiting or have received acceptance to an accredited institution. They are also required to be registered with Apple as an Apple developer or be a member of the Apple Developer Programme. Individuals can apply here.

Apple Swift Student Challenge 2026 Rules

The goal of the competition is to develop an application that addresses one or more issues in the participant's community or beyond. Creativity is encouraged, but the company specifies that the app playground should be small enough to be experienced within three minutes. Apple has allowed the use of Apple Pencil in the experience.

Apple says the app playground must be built with and run on Swift Playground 4.6, or Xcode 26 or newer. It should not require Internet connectivity, and the submission should be made in a ZIP file, which should not exceed the size of 25MB. Additionally, the file should contain any resources used in the app playground. The submissions will be judged offline.

Additionally, the submission should be created by the registered participant or a template modified by them as an individual. The applicant can include third-party open-source licensed code and/or public domain images and sounds. But this should come with credit and an explanation of why it was used. Group work will not be considered in the competition. Further, all content should be in English.

Apple Swift Student Challenge 2026 Rewards

Each year, Apple selects winners based on submissions that showcase innovation, creativity, social impact, or inclusivity. The tech giant also awards a subset of these winners with the title of “Distinguished Winners.” These individuals are invited to the company headquarters in Cupertino for three days, with travel and lodging paid for by Apple. During these three days, the company says the winners will “gain invaluable insights from Apple experts and engineers, connect with their peers, and enjoy a host of unforgettable experiences.”

In a separate post, Apple also mentioned several distinguished winners from the past. Among them is Gaurav Kukreja, a 20-year-old IITian who won the award in 2025 for Fast Aid, an app playground that provides step-by-step instructions for dealing with medical emergencies, such as bleeding, burns and choking. It also comes with a Panic Mode, where the app turns into hands-free mode and narrates the steps and asks the user questions without them having to touch the phone.