Apple Launching 2024 Swift Student Challenge on February 5

Apple will begin accepting submissions for its next Swift Student Challenge on Monday, February 5, Apple said today in news provided to developers. Apple first announced plans for an early 2024 launch in November, giving students plenty of time to prepare.

The Swift Student Challenge tasks students with creating an innovative coding project using the Swift Playgrounds app. Apple plans to select 350 winners for this year's challenge, and there will be a category that recognizes a total of 50 Distinguished Winners for standout submissions.

Distinguished Winners will be invited to Apple's headquarters in Cupertino, California, where they will be able to connect with their peers and the Apple team, while all winners will be granted a free one-year membership in the Apple Developer program.

Apple has been holding an annual Swift Student Challenge for several years now, but it is typically announced when the dates for WWDC are announced, and past winners have been invited to attend the Worldwide Developers Conference. Apple says that this year's 50 Distinguished Winners will be invited to Cupertino "next summer."

When February 5 rolls around, students will have three weeks to submit their app playgrounds to Apple. Apple judges entries on technical accomplishment, creativity of ideas, and content of written responses explaining the project.