From preserving tradition to improving disaster response, four 2025 Swift Student Challenge Distinguished Winners used Apple’s tools to build app playgrounds that educate, empower, and connect people worldwide.
In March, Apple has wrapped its Student Swift Student Challenge. Now, Apple is highlighting four young developers who ranked among Apple’s Distinguished Winners.
Taiki Hamamoto was inspired by Hanafuda, a centuries-old Japanese card game. He’d grown up playing the game with his family, but when he tried to rally friends to play, he found that very few knew how to.
His app playground, Hanafuda Tactics, teaches newcomers the traditional card game through interactive tutorials and vivid digital decks. By blending classic visuals with modern gameplay, Hamamoto hopes to share Hanafuda with a new generation.
Taiki Hamamoto | Image Credit: Apple
“Hnafuda is unique in that it allows you to experience the scenery and culture of Japan,” Hamamoto said of his app. “I want users of my app to feel immersed in it, and I want to preserve the game for generations to come.”
Marina Lee grew up in Los Angeles, intimately familiar with the realities of wildfires. However, when her grandmother received an evacuation alert, Lee realized there was much room for improvement in how evacuations are handled.
“As someone who grew up in L.A., I’ve always been aware of the wildfire risks and the realities that come with natural disasters,” Lee told Apple. “But with this phone call, the urgency really hit home. My grandma was panicked, unsure what to pack, or how to stay prepared and informed.”
Marina Lee | Image Credit: Apple
“That inspired me to create an app for people like her, who might not be as tech-savvy but deserve an accessible, trustworthy resource in times of crisis.”
Her app playground, EvacuMate, helps its users prepare for an evacuation. It offers up helpful checklists, prompts users to upload copies of important documents via the iPhone camera, and even teaches users how to check air quality and assemble first aid kits.
When hobbyist astronomer Luciana Ortiz Nolasco received a telescope for her 11th birthday, she was excited to start her stargazing adventure. Unfortunately, she ran into two big problems.
The first was the lack of clear viewing conditions in her heavily industrialized city, making it hard to view the stars. The second was a lack of community.
After joining the Astronomical Society of Nuevo Len, Ortiz Nolasco found her community, and even found a way to get to the countryside on weekends to see the stars more clearly. This inspired her to create her app playground, BreakDownCosmic.
Luciana Ortiz Nolasco | Image Credit: Apple
BreakDownCosmic is a virtual gathering place that helps users prepare for astronomical events, earn medals for accomplishing “missions,” and geek out with fellow enthusiasts.
“I want people to feel like they’re going on a journey through space when they log into my app,” she said of BreakDownCosmic. “The universe is where we live. It’s our home, and everybody should be able to get to know it.”
Nahom Worku, a fourth-year student at York University in Toronto, grew up in Ethiopia, where he had witnessed a lack of quality education for the students there. This, coupled with a project at his university, helped inspire him to create his app playground, AccessEd.
AccessEd is designed to help address two common problems for disadvantaged students: lack of resources, and lack of Wi-Fi connectivity. It works with or without Wi-Fi access and uses Apple’s machine learning and AI tools to help students plan out their educational journey.
“Students can take a picture of their notes, and then the machine learning model analyzes the text using Apple’s Natural Language framework to create flash cards,” Worku told Apple.
Nahom Worku | Image Credit: Apple
“The app also has a task management system with notifications, as many students globally have a lot of homework and family responsibilities after school, so they often struggle with time management.”
The Swift Student Challenge is an annual event that encourages up-and-coming student developers to practice their craft and win prizes. Participants must be over 13, enrolled in an academic institution or homeschool equivalent, and not employed as full-time developers.
Each year, Apple picks 350 winners, who are gifted a free one-year membership to the Apple Developer program, an opportunity to take the Swift certification exam, and this year, AirPods Max. They also receive a personalized certificate.
Of those 350, 50 students are designated “Distinguished Winners.” These winners take the top prize: an all-inclusive three-day trip to Apple Park. Winners’ apps must demonstrate excellence in innovation, creativity, social impact, or inclusivity
