A Brisbane teenager who designed an app for primary children to manage their emotions is the only female from Australia and New Zealand to win Apple\u2019s 2026 global coding challenge.<\/p>\n
Siena Catholic College, Sippy Downs Year 9 student Martina Recabarren\u2019s app Calm Corner is designed to support student wellbeing.<\/p>\n
Apple\u2019s annual Swift Student Challenge invites students to bring their ideas to life by designing original app playgrounds built with Apple\u2019s Swift easy-to-learn coding language.<\/p>\n
Martina\u2019s app was selected as one of 350 winning submissions worldwide.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy app helps primary-aged children manage big emotions, such as anger and anxiety,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt uses guided check-ins and simple calming strategies to help them understand what they\u2019re feeling, and manage it in a healthy way, allowing them to get back to learning sooner.\u201d<\/p>\n
This is the second time a Siena Catholic College student has won the award, with 2025 Year 12 student Kobe O\u2019Connor winning for his app Deconstruct.<\/p>\n
Curriculum Leader Paul Dionysius from Siena Catholic College, a Brisbane Catholic Education school, said Martina\u2019s app would make a real impact on the school.<\/p>\n
\u201cMartina\u2019s app not only addresses the student\u2019s emotional needs but also aligns with the school\u2019s goal of improving reading standards,\u201d Mr Dionysius said.<\/p>\n
He noticed Martina had real coding talent when she took his Digital Technologies class in Year 8.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom the moment Martina started coding, she was completely immersed and coding at every opportunity.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was clear she needed opportunities beyond the standard curriculum.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy role as her teacher was to support that passion, challenge her thinking, and give her the space to grow her talents.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are incredibly proud of Martina and this outstanding achievement, which reflects her dedication and the strength of her talent.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Dionysius said it was also rewarding to see the impact Martina had on other students.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s inspiring more students, particularly young women, to see coding and STEM as something they can also pursue and see success in,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Martina is already aiming to develop another app designed to control a robotic arm using wrist motion on an Apple Watch.<\/p>\n