apple announces its 2021 apple design award winners

Apple Celebrates Innovation with 2021 Design Award Winners

Rather than postponing the announcement until after the conclusion of its virtual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), as was done in the previous year, Apple integrated the unveiling of this year’s Apple Design Award recipients directly into the online event. Prior to WWDC, the finalists were showcased by Apple, with their applications and games demonstrating a compelling blend of technical prowess, innovative design, and creative ingenuity.

Award Categories and Winners

This evening, Apple revealed the winners across six newly established award categories. Within each category, a single app and a single game were selected for recognition.

Inclusivity

Apps recognized in the Inclusivity category demonstrated a commitment to supporting individuals from diverse backgrounds, with varying abilities, and across multiple languages.

Among the winners was HoloVista, a highly accessible game developed by U.S.-based Aconite. Users are afforded extensive customization options, including adjustments for motion control, text size, text contrast, sound intensity, and visual effects. The game utilizes the iPhone’s camera, challenging players to locate hidden objects and solve puzzles.

Voice Dream Reader, a text-to-speech application, also received an award. It supports over two dozen languages and provides adaptive features alongside a comprehensive suite of customizable settings.

Delight and Fun

The Delight and Fun category honored applications that deliver memorable and engaging experiences, leveraging the capabilities of Apple technologies.

Pok Pok Playroom, a children’s entertainment app originating from Snowman (creators of the Alto’s Adventure series), secured a win for its thoughtful design and skillful implementation of subtle haptics, sound effects, and interactive elements.

Little Orpheus, a platformer from the U.K., was also recognized. It blends captivating storytelling with surprising moments and enjoyable gameplay, offering a console-quality experience within a casual game format.

Interaction

Apps in the Interaction category were lauded for their intuitive interfaces and seamless controls, according to Apple.

CARROT Weather, a weather application developed in the U.S., was a winner. It is known for its humorous forecasts, distinctive visuals, and overall entertaining user experience, and is also available as Apple Watch faces and widgets.

Bird Alone, a game from Canada, creatively integrates gestures, haptics, parallax effects, and dynamic sound to bring its game world to life.

Social Impact

The Social Impact category recognized applications that make a positive difference in the world.

Be My Eyes, originating from Denmark, connects individuals who are blind or have low vision with volunteers worldwide via their camera, enabling object identification. The platform currently supports over 300,000 users and benefits from the assistance of more than 4.5 million volunteers.

Alba, created by ustwo games in the U.K., won for its educational approach to environmental responsibility. Players work to save wildlife, repair infrastructure, and clean up pollution, with the added benefit of a tree being planted for each game download.

Visuals and Graphics

The Visuals and Graphics category celebrated applications featuring “stunning imagery, skillfully crafted interfaces, and high-quality animations,” as stated by Apple.

Loóna, developed in Belarus, provides sleepscape sessions that combine relaxing activities, atmospheric sounds, and storytelling to aid users in winding down before sleep. The app was previously honored as Google’s “best app” of 2020.

Genshin Impact, from China, was recognized for its groundbreaking visual achievements in gaming. Features like motion blur, shadow quality, and frame rate can be dynamically adjusted.

Innovation

The Innovation category highlighted applications that pushed the boundaries of what’s possible.

NaadSadhana, an all-in-one, studio-quality music app from India, was awarded for its ability to assist artists in performing and publishing. Utilizing AI and Core ML, the app analyzes performance accuracy and generates accompanying backing tracks.

League of Legends: Wild Rift, developed by Riot Games (U.S.), won for successfully adapting a complex PC game for mobile platforms, incorporating touchscreen controls, an auto-targeting system, and a mobile-exclusive camera perspective.

Award Package and Recognition

Each winning application will receive a prize package that includes Apple hardware and the prestigious Apple Design Award itself.

A dedicated video showcasing the winners is available on the Apple Developer website.

“This year’s Apple Design Award winners have redefined what we’ve come to expect from a great app experience, and we congratulate them on a well-deserved win,” stated Susan Prescott, Apple’s vice president of Worldwide Developer Relations. “The work of these developers embodies the essential role apps and games play in our everyday lives, and serve as perfect examples of our six new award categories.”