Photo credit: Apple

Apple’s Swift Student Challenge continues to celebrate young innovators using code to solve real-world problems. The 2026 challenge opens on February 6, with new Develop in Swift tutorials and Meet with Apple sessions to help students get started.

For past winners, coding became more than a skill — it became a way to connect, create, and make an impact.

Brayden Gogis discovered coding through games and went on to win the 2019 challenge with Solisquare, a modern twist on a classic card game. His latest app, Joybox, lets users collect memories — photos, stories, and songs — and open them together at a set time.

“SwiftUI is really helpful for making apps and games feel super interactive, because I can quickly prototype not only how something’s going to look, but how it’s going to feel,”
— Brayden Gogis, Joybox creator

Adrit Rao, a three-time winner now at UC Berkeley, focuses on accessibility. His app EyeSee uses iPhone algorithms to simulate different eye conditions, while his earlier app Signer converts sign language into speech. “I want to keep iterating on Signer to make sure it meets the needs of Deaf and hearing communities alike,” he says.

Meanwhile, Sofia Sandoval turned homesickness into creativity with Cariño, a digital card-making app inspired by her love for handmade notes.

“I know it can be really overwhelming, but the only way to actually learn is to get fully immersed in it — get uncomfortable. The tools are all literally within reach; you have them all right here,”
— Sofia Sandoval, Cariño creator

With new learning tools and sessions, Apple encourages aspiring developers to explore their ideas, build meaningful apps, and take their first step toward innovation with Swift.