Every year, Apple hosts its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) to showcase the latest innovations in Apple products and services. As part of the conference, Apple also hosts a challenge for students to create original app playgrounds using the Swift coding language. This year, Apple increased the number of winners from 350 to 375, so even more students could be included in the event and recognized for their artistry and ingenuity.
The winners of the Swift Student Challenge come from all over the world and represent a wide range of interests. Some of the winning projects include:
- An app that helps users strengthen their eye muscles
- A first-person baseball game
- A memory game featuring anatomically correct pictures of dinosaur fossils
These projects are just a few examples of the creativity and innovation that the next generation of developers is bringing to the table. Apple is proud to support these students and help them on their journey to becoming the next generation of tech leaders.
Asmi Jain: Using coding to solve problems in the healthcare sector
Asmi Jain is a 20-year-old student at Medi-Caps University in Indore, India. She is passionate about using coding to solve problems in the healthcare sector. Her winning app playground tracks a user’s eye movements as they try to follow a ball moving around the screen. The playground’s purpose is to help strengthen the eye muscles, and though it was inspired by her friend’s uncle, Jain hopes it can be used by people with a variety of eye conditions and injuries.
“It was important for me to create an app playground that could positively impact the lives of people like him,” says Jain. “My next goal is to get feedback and make sure it’s effective and user-friendly, and then release it on the App Store. Ultimately, I want to expand it so that it helps strengthen all of the muscles in the face, and I hope it can one day serve as a therapy tool that people like my friend’s uncle can use at their own pace.”
Jain’s desire to use coding to solve problems in the healthcare sector springs from many years spent volunteering to help those around her. Recently, she and a few other students created a forum at her university so that their classmates had a support system for working through tough coding problems.
“When you feel as though you’re part of something bigger, it motivates you and drives you to do better,” says Jain. “Coding lets me create things that help my friends and my community. And it gives me a sense of independence that is very empowering.”
Yemi Agesin: Using coding to bring together his passions
Yemi Agesin is a 21-year-old student at Kennesaw State University in Georgia. He is passionate about using coding to bring together his passions of sports and filmmaking. His winning app playground is a first-person baseball game that alludes to both of his passions.
“Coding gives me the freedom to feel like an artist — my canvas is the code editor, and my brush is the keyboard,” says Agesin. “For my next two projects, I’m designing a sports game where you compete against other players in real time in a team setting. And I’m also planning an app that will use augmented reality to help filmmakers visualize their graphics and effects while they’re shooting on iPhone.”
It’s no surprise that ARKit and RealityKit are what Agesin most looks forward to learning about when he attends WWDC23. He’s eager to add them to his growing toolbox and discover how they can help him transform his ideas into apps that make a difference.
“By using code, I can build worlds that people can use, and at the same time, build a career for myself that brings together my passions,” says Agesin. “I feel blessed and lucky that I live in a time and age where I can do that.”
Marta Michelle Caliendo: Using coding to protect the environment
Marta Michelle Caliendo is a 25-year-old student at the Apple Developer Academy in Naples, Italy. She is passionate about using coding to protect the environment. Her winning app playground is a memory game featuring anatomically correct pictures of dinosaur fossils.
“Dinosaurs should be a constant reminder to all of us to preserve biodiversity,” says Caliendo. “Coding helps me find new ways to express and share that message with others.”
Caliendo only learned Swift in September, but she was able to create her winning app playground in just a few months. She is excited to continue learning Swift and to use her skills to create more apps that help protect the environment.
“I believe that technology can be a powerful force for
