Apple Announces WWDC 2020: Ready. Set. Code. and Student Challenge

Back in March Apple announced that WWDC 2020 would be online. However, they did not provide many details at that time. Today, that changed.

Apple announced that WWDC 20: Ready. Set. Code. will begin on June 22nd for free for all developers. You will be able to watch the videos through the Apple Developer app or through the Apple Developer website.

Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing, Phil Schiller states: “WWDC20 will be our biggest yet, bringing together our global developer community of more than 23 million in an unprecedented way for a week in June to learn about the future of Apple platforms”

Typically, we do not know if Apple will be holding a keynote or the State of the Union presentation. However, we do know that these will be held, based upon this quote from the post:

“Developers are encouraged to download the Apple Developer app where additional WWDC20 program information — including keynote and Platforms State of the Union details, session and lab schedules, and more — will be shared in June. Information will also be made available on the Apple Developer website and by email.”

Student Challenge

Apple is doing something a bit new this year. They have a “Student Challenge”. The challenge is “an opportunity for student developers to showcase their love of coding by creating their own Swift playground”. There are some details that you need to be aware of before submitting your Swift Playground

1. Must be eligible, which means Be 13 years of age or older, or the equivalent minimum age in the relevant jurisdiction (for example, 16 years of age in the European Union);
2. Be registered for free with Apple as an Apple developer or be a member of the Apple Developer Program; and
3. Fulfill one of the following requirements:
   A. Be enrolled in an accredited academic institution or official homeschool equivalent;
   
   B. Be enrolled in a STEM organization's educational curriculum;
   
   C. Be enrolled in an Apple Developer Academy; or
   
   D. Have graduated from high school or equivalent within the past 6 months and be awaiting acceptance or have received acceptance to an accredited academic institution.

If you meet those qualifications then you can work on your Swift Playground, which is “an interactive scene in a Swift playground that can be experienced within three minutes. Be creative. If you need inspiration, use the templates in Swift Playgrounds or Xcode for a head start on more advanced creations. Make them your own by adding graphics, audio, and more.”

Group work will not be considered, it must be an individual’s work. The last bit of information to know about is:

• All content should be in English.
• Your .zip file size should not be more than 25 MB.
• Submissions will be judged offline. Your Swift playground should not rely on a network connection and any resources used in your Swift playground should be included locally in your .zip file.

Once you have done that, you can then submit all of the information. You will need to provide some information. This includes:

1. Tell us about yourself.
   Sign in to the application form with the Apple ID associated with your developer account. If you're under 18 years old, you will also be asked to enter contact information for your parent or legal guardian.You'll have the option to add details about your background and development experience. This will not influence the selection process. Tell us about any apps you have on the App Store created entirely by you as an individual, in 500 words or less. If you’re 18 years of age or older and wish to share your résumé or CV with other groups at Apple, upload a PDF.
2. Provide school information.
   Upload your most recent class schedule or other most recent proof of enrollment (PDF, PNG, or JPG) and the contact information for your educational supervisor. Documentation is accepted in all languages.
3. Upload and describe your Swift playground.
   Upload your Swift playground from your Mac. Tell us about the features and technologies that you used in your Swift playground, in 500 words or less.
4. Provide optional information.
   If you've shared or considered sharing your coding knowledge and enthusiasm for computer science with others, let us know in 500 words or less.

The big question is how long do you have? The deadline for submissions is Sunday, May 17, 2020 at 11:59 p.m. PDT. If you have submitted your information you can begin viewing your status starting Tuesday, June 16, 2020.

The most important question is what do you get if you do win? According to Apple Winners will receive an exclusive WWDC20 jacket and pin set. This challenge is open to students around the world.

Closing Thoughts

I think it will be interesting to see how well this year’s WWDC goes. Most developers do not attend WWDC in person, but instead view all of the sessions online. This will be a change for everyone, but we all need to make sure we are safe.

The addition of the Student Challenge is a great way to get student developers involved. I wish I could enter to get the free jacket.

Source: Apple