Eight Aussie students recognised by Apple in their WWDC Student Challenge – Three from the SAME SCHOOL!
What is in the water in Queensland? More particular the beautiful Sunshine Coast of QLD because something is spurring on the best young Aussie developers if this year’s Apple WorldWide Developers Conference Swift Student Challenge winners are anything to go by!
When WWDC was an in-person event, the students would receive an invite to Cupertino, but now that it’s a mainly virtual event, it’s a bit different.
350 winners have been announced worldwide, eight of them in Australia.
50 of those winners are classified as “Distinguished” for their exceptional work, and are invited to Apple Park in Cupertino for the WWDC Keynote.
Of the Eight Aussies, one of them received a Distinguished ranking and may now be heading to the USA in June!
What’s remarkable though is that of the eight, four are them are from QLD, two from NSW, one from the ACT and one from Western Australia.
It gets even better – all four of the Queensland winners are from the Sunshine Coast!!
But wait – there’s more. And this is really quite wild. Three of those Sunshine Coast winners go to the same school! Oh, and two of them are brothers – Twins in fact! You couldn’t script this!
A great result for St Andrew’s Anglican College in Peregian Springs and whoever is the teacher or teachers encouraging this kind of activity.
Here are the eight Aussie names to be on the lookout for as they take on the world!
Edward Mann, Sunshine Coast QLD
App: Graphics Handbook
Edward is this year’s Australian Apple Distinguished Winner and first-time Swift Student Challenge entrant. The 16-year-old is in Year 11 at St Andrew’s Anglican College in Peregian Springs on the Sunshine Coast, QLD.
He first learned to program by developing games using C Sharp, but started using Swift last year after being influenced by his twin brother Oscar, who has entered the SSC the past three years and is a first-time winner this year.
Edward’s entry is called Graphics Handbook, a fun and interactive approach to learning how to develop computer graphics. Edward found it hard to keep himself motivated with traditional computer graphics, which involve text-based explanations and code examples, and wanted to create a more user-friendly, visual approach to developing computer graphics. This is his first project using SwiftUI.
Edward will be attending this year’s WWDC, where he is excited to learn more about app development and meet like-minded developers.
He is a passionate coder and is keen to pursue coding graphics after school. He’s also interested in sailing and is learning Japanese.
Oscar Mann, Sunshine Coast QLD
App: Nail Anxiety
16-year-old Oscar is Edward’s twin brother and also in Year 11 at St Andrew’s Anglican College in Peregian Springs on the Sunshine Coast, QLD.
Oscar’s winning entry is called Nail Anxiety, which scans and analyses a person’s fingernails to track anxiety. Having seen the effects firsthand through a friend’s anxiety disorder, Oscar wanted to create an app that monitors anxiety without being intrusive and chose to explore one of the symptoms: fingernail picking and biting.
Oscar taught himself to code and was introduced to Swift when he was 14. He applied for the Swift Student Challenge the past three years; this is Oscar’s first time winning.
He plans to pursue Computer Science at university and hopes to eventually develop software that will make an impact.
Noah Moller, Sunshine Coast QLD
App: Tremor Check
Noah Moller is 16 years old and is in Year 11 at St Andrew’s Anglican College in Peregian Springs on the Sunshine Coast, QLD.
His entry into this year’s Swift Student Challenge is called Tremor Check, an intuitive, accessible, and privacy-focused experience for Parkinson’s patients to track their symptoms effectively. Inspired by his own Grandfather’s Parkinsons Disease, Noah wanted to modernise and expand the current tracking system, incorporating both voice and fine motor control while ensuring the app was reliable, unbiased, and easy to use, and can be sent to a doctor.
Noah started to learn Swift when he was 13 years old. He has developed two other apps, including Digicare to track medication and a study app, Brain Buddy, using the Screen Time API. He also started a business called Tetrics, where he has developed his own productivity software.
Noah loves music and plays the trumpet and piano. As part of The Peregian Digital Hub, an initiative by the Noosa City Council, Noah will soon run a senior citizens Helpdesk, teaching people how to develop iOS apps.
Kobe O’Connor, Sunshine Coast QLD
App: Deconstruct
Kobe is a 15-year-old student at Siena Catholic College on the Sunshine Coast, QLD. He learnt to code in primary school where he started playing with HTML, and then learnt Swift in high school.
Kobe’s entry into the Swift Student Challenge is an application providing woodworking students an opportunity to visualise their projects in their surrounding environment via Augmented Reality on Apple Vision Pro and iPad. This allows users to gain practical experience prior to commencing the construction phase of a project, which conserves resources and helps solve the problem of safety in the workplace.
His approach to creating the app was to focus on a problem he could solve in the school community and for his classmates.
Outside of coding, Kobe loves to play basketball and he hopes to work in coding as a career.
Kyle Graham, Sydney NSW
App: Scribble
Kyle is a 21-year-old Darlington student, studying at the University of New South Wales. He is in his final year of an Advanced Computing degree, majoring in Software and Data Science.
His entry, Scribble, allows users to express themselves in a spatial environment. In 2D mode, users can draw on a customisable canvas to create flat objects, and in 3D mode, iPad lets users fill an entire room with 3D creations using AR, and share with friends who can view the creation without the need for the app.
Kyle started coding in his final year of high school and has developed 30 of his own games and apps, with approximately 15 of those using Swift. He started developing apps that he felt his friends and family needed, including a travel planner app and a budgeting app.
His future goal is to eventually publish Scribble.
Shabinda Sarkaria, Sydney NSW
App: Element Explorer
Shabinda is a 22-year-old student from Blacktown, NSW. She is studying Computer Science at the University of Sydney.
Shabinda learnt to code at university, though her interest was first piqued in high school.
Her iPhone and iPad app, Element Explorer, revolves around the periodic table, providing users with a way to make learning chemistry interactive and accessible. Using a quiz format, users are tested on their understanding of chemical elements and formulas. Shabinda has always had an interest in chemistry but came from a high school where there weren’t enough students to have a chemistry class. This is her first time entering the Swift Student Challenge.
Shabinda’s goal after university is to work as a software engineer. With a passion for digital art, she would love to find a way to combine coding with art.
Leo Nankervis, Canberra ACT
App: Ponder
Leo is a 17-year-old O’Connor student studying at Canberra Grammar School.
Leo’s entry, Ponder, is a simple, fun, and interactive resource which helps explain the core concepts behind Machine Learning and helps users understand Generative AI. The app was inspired following a conversation with his Dad around the myths of Generative AI.
This was Leo’s first time entering the Swift Student Challenge.
Leo is passionate about education technology and he mentors and tutors students in his school’s computer science program.
Leo loves coding and wants to pursue this as a career.
Dylan Karunanayake, Perth WA
App: Fire Plan
Dylan is a 15-year-old in Year 10 at Perth Modern School. He taught himself to code when he was 7.
Dylan developed a fire safety app with the goal to bring awareness around how to deal with a potential fire. He was inspired by recent bushfires in the Perth region and developed the app in three weeks. This is Dylan’s first time entering the Swift Student Challenge.
Dylan has a passion for coding and has been a part of CoderDojo WA, a volunteer-driven organisation empowering youth through coding by developing games for their annual events.
Outside of coding, Dylan loves to play basketball. He hopes to study a degree in Computer Science when he graduates high school.
All the winners receive one year of membership in the Apple Developer Program, a complimentary voucher to take an App Development with Swift certification exam, a personalised certificate from Apple, and AirPods Max – not a bad effort!
Trev is a Technology Commentator, Dad, Speaker and Rev Head.
He produces and hosts two popular podcasts, EFTM and Two Blokes Talking Tech. He also appears on over 50 radio stations across Australia weekly, and is the resident Tech Expert on Channel 9’s Today Show each day and appears regularly on A Current Affair.
Father of three, he is often found down in his Man Cave.