Apple Design Awards 2025: Recognizing Innovation in Apps and Games

Apple has unveiled the winners and finalists for the 2025 Apple Design Awards, honoring 12 exceptional apps and games that exemplify innovation, ingenuity, and technical achievement. These winners, selected from a pool of global finalists, will be celebrated at WWDC25 for pushing the boundaries of design and technology.

Excellence in Design Across Categories

The 2025 Apple Design Awards span six distinct categories, recognizing both apps and games that excel in specific aspects of design:

Delight and Fun

• App Winner: CapWords by HappyPlan Tech (China) – A dynamic language-learning tool that uses everyday object images to create interactive stickers, enhancing the learning experience.

• Game Winner: Balatro by LocalThunk (Canada) – A poker, solitaire, and roguelike game blending strategy and humor.

Innovation

• App Winner: Play by Rabbit 3 Times (United States) – A sophisticated tool for building interactive prototypes with SwiftUI.

• Game Winner: PBJ — The Musical by Philipp Stollenmayer (Germany) – A rhythm-based game that creatively tells the story of Romeo and Juliet with a snack-based theme.

Interaction

• App Winner: Taobao by Zhejiang Taobao Network (China) – An immersive shopping experience on Apple Vision Pro that offers 3D models for real-time comparisons.

• Game Winner: DREDGE by Black Salt Games (New Zealand) – A fishing exploration game with seamless interactions and eerie adventures.

Inclusivity

• App Winner: Speechify by Speechify (United States) – A tool that converts text to audio, offering accessibility features for people with learning disabilities.

• Game Winner: Art of Fauna by Klemens Strasser (Austria) – A puzzle game emphasizing inclusivity, conservation, and accessibility.

Social Impact

• App Winner: Watch Duty by Sherwood Forestry Service (United States) – A vital tool providing real-time wildfire updates during emergencies.

• Game Winner: Neva by Devolver Digital (United States) – An action-adventure game exploring environmental loss and the emotional bonds between characters.

Visuals and Graphics

• App Winner: Feather: Draw in 3D by Sketchsoft (South Korea) – A 3D drawing tool that enables users to create sophisticated models on the iPad.

• Game Winner: Infinity Nikki by Infold Games (Singapore) – A visually stunning open-world adventure with intricate details and colorful realms.

Recognizing Global Talent

The winners and finalists were chosen from 36 international entries, all demonstrating remarkable design excellence in their respective genres. These awards showcase Apple's commitment to celebrating groundbreaking work in app and game development, pushing the limits of what is possible with technology.

Editor’s Comments

The 2025 Apple Design Awards highlight the vast potential of app and game developers across the globe. As the digital landscape continues to evolve, these winners set a new standard for creativity and technical achievement.

The increasing emphasis on inclusivity, social impact, and innovation reflects a shift toward more purposeful and accessible design in technology.