ACoding Hackathon 2026 · Edition closed
Understand the code. Think. Build. Ship.
The 2026 edition is over. From September 18 to 27, developers across our community built a minimum viable iOS app from scratch in 100% native Swift and SwiftUI. Thank you to everyone who took part: see you at the next edition.
- 100% Online, no geographic restrictions
- Swift 100% native, zero third-party libraries
- EN · ES The event ran in both languages
- 1–3 People per team
Winners
Two first places: one Spanish-speaking and one international.
We'll publish the winning projects of both categories here very soon.
What it was
A hackathon for builders, not spectators
Over one week, developers across the Apple Coding Academy community built a minimum viable iOS app from scratch, in 100% native Swift and SwiftUI. No third-party libraries, no shortcuts: just each participant, Apple's SDK and the problem they chose to solve.
The challenge
An iOS app in pure Swift
The challenge was open, with no fixed categories. Submissions went through a GitHub repository, with no App Store publishing, and the app had to be built 100% in native Swift and SwiftUI with no external dependencies. As a starting point, three directions:
-
01
On-device AI
Exploring Foundation Models and everything Apple offers to run AI directly on-device, without leaving the native ecosystem.
-
02
A real, everyday problem
Solving something that frustrates you every day. The best apps almost always come from a real, well-understood annoyance.
-
03
A topic you're passionate about
Sports, music, health, productivity: if you're passionate about it, it shows in the product.
Dates
How the calendar went
- Registration closed
- The hackathon begins: one week to build
- Final submission, 23:00 CET
- Winners announced
Prizes
Two categories, one challenge
1st place · Spanish-speaking
Recognition and training
- Promotion on LinkedIn and Apple Coding Academy's social channels
- 6-month Be Native membership
- 20% discount on any Apple Coding Academy program
1st place · International
Global recognition
- Promotion on LinkedIn and Apple Coding Academy's social channels
- 6-month Be Native membership
Evaluation criteria
- Functionality
- The app does well what it promises.
- Code quality and cleanliness
- Code you can understand, maintain and explain.
- Creativity
- The idea and how it's solved.
- Apple's native APIs
- Using them correctly, inside Apple's SDK.
Hackathon director: María Soriano.
Powered by Be Native
The prize memberships come from Be Native
The prize memberships come from Be Native, Apple Coding Academy's app to learn Swift, iOS development and AI: podcasts, guided 5-level paths, real project code and on-device AI search. Free to start, on the App Store.
Eligibility
Who could take part
- minimumAge
- 16 years old
- location
- No geographic restrictions
- teams
- 1 to 3 people
- format
- Solo or as a team
- cost
- Free
- platform
- iOS 26 · native Swift and SwiftUI
- submission
- GitHub repository
Jury
Who judged the projects
The Apple Coding Academy team alongside an external jury, looking at functionality, clean code, creativity and correct use of Apple's native APIs.
-
Julio César Fernández
Director, Apple Coding Academy
35 years writing code and still convinced that programming is a way of thinking, not a job title. Apple Technical Partner, author of Aprendiendo Swift.
-
Mikaela Caron
iOS Engineer · External jury
Independent iOS engineer, conference regular and one of the people steering where Swift goes next: member of the Swift Ecosystem Steering Group.
-
Paul Hudson
Hacking with Swift · External jury
Runs Hacking with Swift and writes the tutorials you probably have open in another tab. A million-plus developers taught, and still shipping his own apps.
Frequently asked questions
Can I still register for ACoding Hackathon 2026?
No. The 2026 edition is over: it ran from September 18 to 27, 2026. Apple Coding Academy will announce the next edition on its channels.
Closed · answered by the team
Was it online or in person?
100% online. It ran entirely over the internet from September 18 to 27, 2026, with no geographic restrictions.
Closed · answered by the team
How much did it cost to take part?
Nothing. It was free; the only requirement was to register before September 16, 2026.
Closed · answered by the team
Did you need to be an Apple Coding Academy student?
No. It was open to anyone aged 16 or over, anywhere in the world, whether or not they had taken any Apple Coding Academy program.
Closed · answered by the team
What did you need to take part?
A Mac with Xcode to build the app, a GitHub account to host it and an idea worth building. No paid Apple Developer account was needed, because the app was never published on the App Store.
Closed · answered by the team
What language did the event run in?
English and Spanish, with two winning categories: one Spanish-speaking and one international.
Closed · answered by the team
What were the dates?
Registration closed on September 16, 2026. The hackathon ran from September 18 to 27, the final submission deadline was September 27 at 23:00 CET, and the winners were announced on October 4, 2026.
Closed · answered by the team
Which version of iOS did the app target?
Version 26 of Apple's systems.
Closed · answered by the team
Did it have to be SwiftUI, or could you use UIKit or AppKit?
Mainly SwiftUI. UIKit or AppKit could be used where the case called for it, as long as everything stayed inside Apple's native SDK.
Closed · answered by the team
Could you use third-party libraries?
No. The app had to be built 100% in native Swift and SwiftUI, with no external dependencies: only Apple's own SDK.
Closed · answered by the team
Could you use Apple frameworks such as SwiftData or Foundation Models?
Yes. Anything inside Apple's SDK counts as native, including Foundation Models to run AI on-device. Third-party dependencies were off-limits.
Closed · answered by the team
Could you use generative AI to write the code?
Yes, but you then had to explain what the code did and show that you understood what you had built: understanding the code is the point of the hackathon.
Closed · answered by the team
Could you start from an existing project?
No. The app was built from scratch during the hackathon week: that's what a minimum viable app means here.
Closed · answered by the team
Did you need to publish the app on the App Store?
No. Submissions went through a GitHub repository, so there was no App Store review.
Closed · answered by the team
How were projects submitted?
Through a GitHub repository with the app's source code: the link was sent by email before September 27, 2026 at 23:00 CET.
Closed · answered by the team
Who owns the project?
Whoever submitted it, 100%. Taking part in the hackathon transfers no rights over it.
Closed · answered by the team
Could you take part as a team?
Yes, in teams of 1 to 3 people, or solo. Each participant chose the format when registering.
Closed · answered by the team
How were the projects evaluated?
On four criteria: functionality, code quality and cleanliness, creativity, and correct use of Apple's native APIs.
Closed · answered by the team
Who judged the projects?
Julio César Fernández, from Apple Coding Academy, together with an external jury made up of Mikaela Caron and Paul Hudson.
Closed · answered by the team
Who organised ACoding Hackathon 2026?
Apple Coding Academy, a school specialised in Apple development training. The hackathon was directed by María Soriano.
Closed · answered by the team
What were the prizes?
Two first prizes, one Spanish-speaking and one international. Both included promotion on LinkedIn and Apple Coding Academy's social channels and a 6-month Be Native membership; the Spanish-speaking winner also got a 20% discount on any Apple Coding Academy program.
Closed · answered by the team
See you at the next edition
Thank you to everyone who built with us. We'll announce the next ACoding Hackathon on our channels and here on the website. Questions? Write to info@acoding.academy.