I won Apple's Swift Student Challenge

So I’m one of the winners of the challenge and I couldn’t be happier about it. The journey of building my submission was full of fun and learning, but also doubts that my app wasn’t good enough to win. In this article I’ll try my best to explain what the Swift Student Challenge is and how I won :-)

What is the Apple Swift Student Challenge?#

The Apple Swift Student Challenge is (as the name suggests) a challenge hosted by Apple. In it, Apple encourages students around the world to create apps that are creative, technically impressive, and have a social impact.

Requirements to enter#

Apple has a few requirements for your app. The first is that the app has to be written in Swift inside an app called “Swift Playgrounds” (you can also code it in Xcode, which is much more convenient, trust me). The final package has to be under 25mb. That’s it! From there you have to be creative and pick an idea that’s unique and has a special connection to you personally. So after choosing your idea, you basically just start coding. Aside from the deadline, you’re free. How much time you invest depends on how complex your idea is, how much time you have, and so on. But the most important thing is: submit! Even if you don’t think your app is good enough, at least give it a shot. Participating in a challenge like this can be really motivating, so maybe it’ll give you the kick to go the extra mile and win. If you’re new to coding, I’d encourage you to check out Apple’s tutorials, or if you have more time, definitely check out “100 Days of SwiftUI” by Paul Hudson (this is how I started).

My submission#

I built an app to help you keep track of the loved ones you’ve lost. The theme was “Memento Mori” and I called my Playground “Memorize”. The goal of Memorize is to help people cope with grief, but also to remind us that we have to die someday — and that we should therefore live our lives filled with gratitude and do what we love.