Latest news with #AppleDesignAwards
Forbes
3 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
Apple Announces 2025 Design Awards Winners
2025 Apple Design Awards Winners Ahead of WWDC 2025, Apple has announced the winners of its 2025 Design Awards, continuing its annual tradition of spotlighting apps and games that blend innovation, accessibility, and fun. The list spans six categories, with two winners in each: one app and one game. Apple has revealed that this year's winners were chosen from 36 finalists from around the world and they have all 'demonstrated outstanding design experiences across apps and games.' From a language-learning app that turns real-world objects into flashcards to a fishing horror game, this year's picks are as quirky as they are impressive. Here's the full list of winners for 2025 Apple Design Awards. CapWords (App) – Made by China's HappyPlan Tech, this language-learning app took the top spot for delight and fun. It uses your camera to turn everyday objects, like coffee mugs or traffic cones, into sticker-style flashcards. Balatro (Game) – A mix of poker and solitaire alongside roguelike deck-builder elements, it's all about crafting powerful poker hands in the gripping gameplay, which is said to challenge players to advance their scores by 'crafting original decks to beat devious blinds and secure victory.' FEATURED | Frase ByForbes™ Unscramble The Anagram To Reveal The Phrase Pinpoint By Linkedin Guess The Category Queens By Linkedin Crown Each Region Crossclimb By Linkedin Unlock A Trivia Ladder Speechify (App) – This U.S.-made text-to-speech app scooped the Inclusivity award for making written content (from PDFs to websites) accessible in over 50 languages. It also supports VoiceOver and Dynamic Type, among other accessibility tools to serve as a vital resource for people with dyslexia, ADHD, and low vision. Art of Fauna (Game) – It is a charming wildlife puzzle game where you piece together visuals or rearrange text clues. Built with accessibility in mind, it supports features like haptic feedback and VoiceOver to show how inclusive design can be both thoughtful and engaging. Play (App) – A SwiftUI-based prototyping tool that helps designers build native iOS apps directly on their devices and send them to Xcode. Designed by Rabbit 3 Times, Apple describes its UI as 'thoroughly crafted' and 'easy to navigate.'PBJ — The Musical (Game) – It tells the story of Romeo and Juliet with condiments. The game mixes rhythm-based gameplay with narrative storytelling, while featuring a 'wonderful soundtrack.' Taobao for Apple Vision Pro (App) – Alibaba's popular shopping platform got a spatial computing upgrade. Think life-sized 3D product models and customizable item comparisons from placement to size, tailored for Vision Pro users. Dredge (Game) – It is a fishing adventure turned psychological horror game made by Black Salt Games. It starts with taking the helm of a fishing boat and escalates into navigating eerie islands, uncovering strange wildlife, and piecing together a haunting mystery. Watch Duty: Wildfire Maps (App) – It allows real-time wildfire alerts submitted by the public, verified by pros. This app became a critical info source during California's recent San Diego County fires. Neva (Game) – This game offers a side-scrolling journey through a decaying world, as a girl and her wolf navigate shifting seasons. It features themes of friendship and leadership, allowing players to guide the pair through 'breathtaking landscapes, and a story that is as moving as it is timely.' Feather: Draw in 3D (App) – A 3D drawing app by Sketchsoft for the iPad, it turns your 2D sketches into immersive 3D art and makes full use of Apple Pencil features. Infinity Nikki (Game) – Apple describes it as a 'true visual achievement,' thanks to Infinity Nikki's enchanted realm of colour, detail, and rendering. It is packed with magical outfits, whimsical creatures, and unexpected moments.
Geek Culture
3 days ago
- Business
- Geek Culture
Asian Developers Make A Splash At Apple Design Awards 2025
Apple has announced the winners of its annual Apple Design Awards, recognising innovation, ingenuity, and technical achievement across app and game design. This year, Asian developers have taken the spotlight, making up four of the 12 total winners. Amongst the Asian winners, Singapore's very own Infold Games leaves its mark with the mobile game Infinity Nikki , clinching the award in the Visuals and Graphics (Games) category for pushing the boundaries of what mobile graphics can achieve. The four Asian winners of the Apple Design Awards 2025 include: Delight and Fun (Apps) Winner: CapWords (HappyPlan Tech, China) A language-learning app that transforms everyday objects into interactive stickers accompanied by real-world sounds. CapWords (HappyPlan Tech, China) A language-learning app that transforms everyday objects into interactive stickers accompanied by real-world sounds. Interaction (Apps) Winner: Taobao (Zhejiang Taobao Network, China) The shopping app provides 3D models when browsing with the Apple Vision Pro that are comparable to their real-life counterparts, enhancing the online shopping experience with the ability to view and even compare items more accurately. We highlighted this app in our review of the Apple Vision Pro. Taobao (Zhejiang Taobao Network, China) The shopping app provides 3D models when browsing with the Apple Vision Pro that are comparable to their real-life counterparts, enhancing the online shopping experience with the ability to view and even compare items more accurately. We highlighted this app in our review of the Apple Vision Pro. Visuals and Graphics (Apps) Winner: Feather: Draw in 3D (Sketchsoft, South Korea)A modelling tool that can transform an artist's 2D designs into 3D creations, featuring a minimalist interface that's accessible to all skill levels, alongside full touch and Apple Pen interactions. Feather: Draw in 3D (Sketchsoft, South Korea)A modelling tool that can transform an artist's 2D designs into 3D creations, featuring a minimalist interface that's accessible to all skill levels, alongside full touch and Apple Pen interactions. Visuals and Graphics (Games) Winner: Infinity Nikki (Infold Games, Singapore) A cosy open-world mobile game which boasts graphical innovations like detailed fabric texturing, beautifully realised lighting, and effects from advanced shading techniques like Global Illumination. This year's Asian winners mark a sharp increase from the Apple Design Awards 2024, which only saw one winner from Asia out of a total of 14, that being South Korea's NEOWIZ Corporation, which won the award in the Visuals and Graphics (Game) category with Lies of P for Mac. Additionally, the pool of finalists for this year's awards also saw a larger number of Asian developers, with five of the 24 runner-ups hailing from Asia, spanning developers from Singapore, Thailand and India. In comparison, only two of the 28 finalists for the Apple Design Awards 2024 were from Asian developers. With four winners and five finalists from Asian countries, the Apple Design Awards 2025 mark a major win for Asian representation. The full list of Apple Design Award winners and finalists can be found on the official Apple Developer website. Kevin is a reformed PC Master Race gamer with a penchant for franchise 'duds' like Darksiders III and Dead Space 3 . He has made it his life-long mission to play every single major game release – lest his wallet dies trying. Apple Apple Design Awards Apple Design Awards 2025 Asia
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Business Standard
3 days ago
- Business
- Business Standard
Apple Design Awards: Apps and games winners announced ahead of WWDC 2025
Apple has named 12 global apps and games as winners of its 2025 Design Awards, recognising innovation, inclusivity and technical excellence ahead of WWDC New Delhi The Apple Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2025 is just around the corner, scheduled for June 9. Ahead of the event, Apple has announced the winners and finalists of the 2025 Apple Design Awards, honouring 12 apps and games for their outstanding design. This year's winners include developers from around the world, recognised for their creativity, innovation and technical execution. The awards name one app and one game as the winner in each of six categories: Delight and Fun, Innovation, Interaction, Inclusivity, Social Impact, and Visuals and Graphics. What are the Apple Design Awards The Apple Design Awards are annual accolades presented during WWDC. These awards recognise outstanding apps and games that exemplify excellence in design, innovation and technical achievement across Apple's platforms. Over time, the categories have evolved and currently include: Delight and Fun, Innovation, Interaction, Inclusivity, Social Impact, and Visuals and Graphics. Winners are selected from a shortlist of finalists and are celebrated for their creative use of Apple technologies to deliver standout user experiences. Apple Design Awards 2025: Winners Winning apps Delight and Fun: CapWords by HappyPlan Tech (China) Innovation: Play by Rabbit 3 Times (United States) Interaction: Taobao by Zhejiang Taobao Network (China) Inclusivity: Speechify by Speechify (United States) Social Impact: Watch Duty by Sherwood Forestry Service (United States) Visuals and Graphics: Feather: Draw in 3D by Sketchsoft (South Korea) Winning games Delight and Fun: Balatro by LocalThunk (Canada) Innovation: PBJ – The Musical by Philipp Stollenmayer (Germany) Interaction: Dredge by Black Salt Games (New Zealand) Inclusivity: Art of Fauna by Klemens Strasser (Austria) Social Impact: Neva by Devolver Digital (United States)
Tom's Guide
4 days ago
- Business
- Tom's Guide
Apple Design Award 2025 winners announced — apps and games recognized for innovation and ingenuity
Apple got a head start on WWDC 2025 by announcing the winners of its annual Apple Design Awards today (June 3), as it looks to highlight some of best apps and games available in its App Store. This year's edition features 12 winners picked by the App Store's editorial team, curated from a list of 36 finalists. The categories have changed over the years, but the 2025 iteration has the same categories as last year minus the spatial computing category for Apple Vision Pro apps. Returning categories include Delight and Fun, Inclusivity, Innovation, Interaction, Social Impact, Visuals and Graphics. Each category sees two winners — an app and a game, so the six categories result in 12 awards. The winners aren't defined by downloads or revenue but by a commitment to innovation and ingenuity, Apple says. The 2025 winners will be recognized during WWDC 2025, which starts next Monday (June 9). Here's the full list of winners, as well as a selection of our favorites we recommend you check out. Balatro took the gaming world by storm last year. It was even one of our picks for the best video games of 2024. If you haven't played, the game fuses poker, solitaire and deck building where you combine joker cards with abilities to score points. Don't let the poker scare you, the twists on the rules make it a familiar-but-fresh take on the card game. It's "one more round" on your iPhone or iPad. Honorable Mention: CapWords turns images of objects into stickers to help you learn new languages. If you're practicing a new language this could be a fun way to change things up. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. Play is an app designed to help you create iPhone apps by letting you build prototypes in the Apple SwiftUI code. It was chosen for its intuitive interface to help app makers of all levels of experience collaborate and design. It can be synced between your Mac and your iPhone so you can move between devices as needed. Honorable Mention: PBJ — The Musical is an interactive music game based on Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet. It features handcrafted paper figures and voice acting. It's clever and artistic. Dredge is an existential slow-burn horror game that has been available on other platforms for awhile. In fact, it was one of our favorite games that you might have missed in 2023. It only just got an excellent mobile port last year. In the game, you play as a contract fisherman who catches normal fish by day for a remote island settlement, but by night the horrors of the deep fill your nets. It's a haunting mystery with an eerie world to explore. And don't worry, it's not a gory or overly tense horror game, more disquieting. Honorable Mention: Taobao is a shopping experience app design for the Vision Pro that lets you compare 3D models of products side by side. Art of Fauna is a cozy, beautiful, illustrated puzzle game where you solve puzzles by moving around visual elements or texts. The puzzles are coupled with descriptions of the animals they depict. You can solve either the image or the text. It also promotes animal conservation and inclusivity. Honorable Mention: Speechify is an app that reads text and turns it into audio. The app is meant to help people with dyslexia, ADHD and low vision, or for those who learn better by listening. During the devastating California wildfires at the start of the year, the Watch Duty app was indispensable for tracking what was happening with the Palisades and Eaton fires as they spread through those Los Angeles neighborhoods. Through user and agency reports, the app shows fire perimeters and progress and evacuation orders. Plus, it's free and subsists on donations. Honorable Mention: Neva is absolutely gorgeous 2D platformer where a girl and her wolf, Neva, travel the world and fight against corrupted seasons. It's heartbreaking and beautiful and you should play it. On one level, Feather is meant for designers and artists. At the same time, it's a delightful app that takes 2D images and renders them in 3D. It's meant for people of all skills and enables you to create 3D models on the iPad using touch or the Apple Pencil features to create images. You don't need to have an image to start as you can create things from scratch in the app as well. Honorable Mention: Infinity Nikki is a cozy open-world game that continues the Nikki series which focuses magical outfits. Combat in the game is based on style duels and not physical.
