AI and accessibility shine in Swift Student Challenge winners
This year’s Swift Student Challenge has highlighted innovative uses of AI and accessibility, with winners presenting solutions such as real-time feedback for presentations, navigation tools for flood zones in Accra, virtual music instruments, and drawing aids for individuals with tremors. These are just a few examples of the creative app playgrounds developed by this year’s Distinguished Winners.
The Swift Student Challenge, an annual competition hosted by Apple, invites students worldwide to develop original app playgrounds using the Swift programming language. This year, 350 submissions from 37 countries and regions were recognized, showcasing a diverse array of technological innovations.
“The creativity in the Swift Student Challenge continues to inspire us,” stated Susan Prescott, Apple’s vice president of Worldwide Developer Relations. “This year’s winners have found unique ways to utilize Apple platforms and Swift, integrating AI tools to create app playgrounds that are both technically impressive and meaningful. We are proud to support their efforts and look forward to their future creations.”
Fifty Distinguished Winners have been invited to the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) at Apple Park in June. There, they will participate in a curated three-day experience, including live sessions, learning opportunities with Apple experts and engineers, and hands-on labs.
Innovative Projects with Social Impact
This year’s winners have often drawn inspiration from their surroundings and conversations close to home, focusing on accessibility. Here, we explore the projects of Distinguished Winners Gayatri Goundadkar, Anton Baranov, Karen-Happuch Peprah Henneh, and Yoonjae Joung.
Steady Hands: Accessible Art Creation
Gayatri Goundadkar, a 20-year-old from Pune, India, developed ‘Steady Hands,’ an app to assist individuals with tremors in creating art. Inspired by her grandmother and Warli painting, Goundadkar’s app uses Apple Pencil stabilization to help users draw confidently, incorporating accessibility features like Touch Accommodations. Each drawing is displayed in a personal 3D museum, aiming to boost user confidence.
Pitch Coach: Real-Time Presentation Feedback
Anton Baranov, a 22-year-old from Germany, created ‘Pitch Coach’ after discussing presentation challenges with his mother, a linguistics professor. The app provides real-time feedback and AirPods posture tracking to help users improve their presentation skills. Launched on the App Store in March, the app has over 6,000 downloads, serving uses from presentation practice to performance rehearsals.
Asuo: Safe Evacuation Paths
Karen-Happuch Peprah Henneh from Ghana developed ‘Asuo’ to guide flood-prone communities in Accra safely. Inspired by the floods in 2015, the app calculates rain intensity and uses pathfinding algorithms informed by historic flood data. Henneh ensured the app’s accessibility, integrating features like VoiceOver labels and a custom voice alert system for users with low vision or blindness.
LeViola: Virtual Music Education
Yoonjae Joung, a 21-year-old student initially unable to bring his viola to an exchange program, created ‘LeViola,’ an app allowing virtual viola play. By using on-device machine learning, the app analyzes hand movements to simulate playing the instrument. Joung aims to democratize music education, offering access to learning instruments without needing physical ones.
Apple continues to support emerging developers through the Swift Student Challenge, with participants often progressing to successful careers and business ventures using technology to make a positive impact. More information is available at developer.apple.com/swift-student-challenge.
