In previous years, Apple has offered free Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) to students and STEM organization members who don’t have the financial resources to attend the conference. This year is no exception.
For 2017, Apple will begin accepting scholarship submissions on March 27, as is outlined on an updated scholarship website Apple shared today. Submissions will be accepted from March 27 at 10:00 a.m. until April 2 at 5:00 p.m. Winning applicants will be notified of their status on Friday, April 21.
The scholarships offer free tickets to WWDC 2017, a $1,599 value. This year, Apple will also be providing free lodging for the scholarship recipients. The cost of transportation to the conference is still the responsibility of the recipient.
Applicant’s for the WWDC scholarship must me at least 13 years old, be a registered Apple developer, and be a part-time or full-time student. Members and alumni of a STEM organization are also eligible.
Applying
1. Tell us about yourself. Sign in with the Apple ID associated with your developer account. If you’re 13-17 years old and share your Apple ID with your parent or legal guardian, you will be asked to enter your name. You will also be asked for a phone number where we can reach you.
2. Provide school / membership information. If you’re a student, you will need to provide a PDF, PNG, or JPG of your current class schedule or other current proof of enrollment and your dean or principal’s contact information. If you’re a member or alumni of a STEM organization, you will need to provide a PDF, PNG, or JPG of your membership information and your local leader’s contact information.
3. Upload your Swift playground. Create a visually interactive scene in a Swift playground that can be experienced within three minutes. Be creative. You can use Swift Playgrounds on iPad or Xcode on macOS. If you need inspiration, start with templates in Swift Playgrounds for a head start on more advanced creations. Get inventive and make them your own by adding graphics, audio, and more.
4. Describe your Swift playground. Tell us about the features and technologies that you used in your Swift playground, in 500 words or less.
5. Provide optional information.
Beyond WWDC
Let us know how you’ve considered sharing your coding knowledge and enthusiasm for computer science with others, in 500 words or less.
Travel Assistance
If you have extenuating circumstances that would require financial assistance for travel to attend the conference, let us know in 500 words or less. You will also need to provide a letter of reference (PDF, PNG, or JPG) from a teacher, supervisor, or other person of authority in your community confirming your need for travel assistance. Make sure that it includes their role and contact information.
Your Résumé / CV
If you’re 18 years of age or older and currently pursuing a BS, MS, or PhD in computer science, software engineering, computer engineering, or a similar field and wish to share your résumé or CV with other groups at Apple, upload a PDF. This information will not influence the judging process.
Swift Playground Requirements
- The Swift playground you submit should be created entirely by you as an individual. Group work will not be considered.
- Your Swift playground should be built using Swift Playgrounds on iPad or Xcode on macOS.
- Your Swift playground should function properly and run on the latest releases of Swift Playgrounds and iOS or Xcode and macOS.
- All content should be in English.
- Your .zip file size should not be more than 25 MB.
- Any resources in your project should be included locally in the .zip file that you provide, as your Swift playground will be judged offline.
Judging
Submissions must follow all requirements in the WWDC Scholarship Terms. Applications will be judged on:
- Technical accomplishment;
- Creativity of ideas; and
- Content of written responses.
Submissions will be accepted from Monday, March 27, 2017 at 10:00 a.m. PDT until Sunday, April 2, 2017 at 5:00 p.m. PDT. All applicants will be notified of their status by Friday, April 21, 2017.
WWDC 2017 is scheduled for June 5 to June 9, and will take place at the McEnery Convention Center in San Jose, California. The conference allows developers to meet with Apple engineers and employees, and to preview the company’s upcoming software — and occasionally hardware — releases. Apple is expected to debut iOS 10, macOS 10.13, watchOS 4, and tvOS 11 at the conference.
