Apple highlights former Swift Student Challenge winners as 2026 submissions prepare to open

Apple is preparing to open submissions for the 2026 Swift Student Challenge on February 6, introducing new learning resources for students while also spotlighting apps created by past participants. The company is promoting new Develop in Swift tutorials and interactive coding sessions intended to support students who plan to enter the three-week competition.

As part of the announcement, Apple has highlighted work from three previous challenge winners — Brayden Gogis, Adrit Rao, and Sofia Sandoval — each of whom has since developed and released full apps on the App Store.

Brayden Gogis, a long-time game enthusiast, has published two titles on the App Store. Solisquare reinterprets a traditional card game with gesture-driven controls, while Joybox is designed for shared digital memory-keeping, allowing groups to contribute photos, stories, and music to collections that unlock at a chosen time. Both apps were built using Swift and SwiftUI, continuing the approach that earned Gogis recognition in the 2019 challenge.

Adrit Rao has focused his development work on accessibility tools. One of his earlier apps, Signer, uses on-device machine learning to convert sign language gestures into spoken words, offering support for real-time communication where sign language interpretation may not be feasible. Rao has continued to expand his accessibility-focused development, currently working on EyeSee, an app that simulates different visual conditions to help users better understand how others experience the world.

Last year’s challenge winner, Sofia Sandoval, created Cariño, an app for sending personalized digital cards designed to replicate the feel of handcrafted messages. Sandoval built the interface using SwiftUI, designing visual elements in Procreate on iPad. She is now experimenting with spatial computing to bring added dimension to the experience, including early testing on Apple Vision Pro.

In addition to highlighting previous winners, Apple is encouraging new students to take part in the upcoming challenge. To support preparation, the company has released updated learning materials covering SwiftUI, app design, spatial computing, and machine learning. Apple is also hosting guided “Meet with Apple” code-along sessions aimed at beginners and returning participants.

The Swift Student Challenge continues to serve as an entry point for young developers to publish projects and explore careers in software development. Submissions for the 2026 challenge open February 6 and will remain available for three weeks.