Each year, Apple’s Design Awards shine a light on the exceptional creativity and technical achievement demonstrated by developers across its platforms. Apple Design Awards 2025 edition continues that tradition, honoring apps and games that elevate the Apple ecosystem through polished design, thoughtful innovation, and outstanding user experiences.
From visual excellence and gameplay innovation to inclusivity and cultural impact, the winners and finalists of this year’s Apple Design Awards set the bar high. Their work not only reflects best-in-class design principles but also showcases how apps can push boundaries and meaningfully engage people around the world.
A Snapshot of Apple Design Awards 2025
Announced ahead of WWDC 2025, the Apple Design Awards 2025 recognize outstanding achievements in app and game design. This year’s finalists and winners span six thoughtfully curated categories:
- Delight and Fun
- Inclusivity
- Innovation
- Interaction
- Social Impact
- Visuals and Graphics
Within each category, one winner and several finalists were selected from thousands of eligible apps and games on Apple’s platforms.
Apple Award Design 2025 Winners by Category
Delight and Fun
App Winner: CapWords by HappyPlan Tech (China)
Game Winner: Balatro by LocalThunk (Canada)
Finalists: Lumy by Raja V, Denim by Feel Good Tech, Thank Goodness You’re Here! by Panic, Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown by Ubisoft Montpellier
Innovation
App Winner: Play by Rabbit 3 Times (United States)
Game Winner: PBJ — The Musical by Philipp Stollenmayer (Germany)
Finalists: Moises by Music.AI, Capybara by Digital Workroom Ltd, Pawz by Bootloader Studio Holdings, Gears & Goo by Resolution Games AB
Interaction
App Winner: Taobao by Zhejiang Taobao Network (China)
Game Winner: DREDGE by Black Salt Games (New Zealand)
Finalists: iA Writer by Information Architects AG, Mela – Recipe Manager by Silvio Rizzi, Gears & Goo by Resolution Games AB, Skate City: New York by Snowman
Inclusivity
App Winner: Speechify by Speechify (United States)
Game Winner: Art of Fauna by Klemens Strasser (Austria)
Finalists: Evolve by GTA Solutions, Train Fitness by Train Fitness, puffies. by Lykke Studios, Land of Livia by Split Atom Labs
Social Impact
App Winner: Watch Duty by Sherwood Forestry Service (United States)
Game Winner: Neva by Devolver Digital (United States)
Finalists: Ground News by Snapwise, Opal by Opal OS, Ahoy! From Picardy by Daniel Jones, Art of Fauna by Klemens Strasser
Visuals and Graphics
App Winner: Feather: Draw in 3D by Sketchsoft (South Korea)
Game Winner: Infinity Nikki by Infold Games (Singapore)
Finalists: Vocabulary by Monkey Taps, CellWalk by Timothy Davison, Control Ultimate Edition by Remedy Entertainment PLC, Neva by Devolver Digital
Highlights From the Winners
Innovation at Its Best
This year’s Innovation category spotlighted state-of-the-art design and technological creativity. Play by Rabbit 3 Times introduced an advanced but accessible SwiftUI prototyping tool, while PBJ — The Musical offered a whimsical, genre-blending rhythm game rich in personality and style.
Inclusive Design That Matters
Speechify set a high bar for inclusive apps, with support for over 50 languages and a focus on accessibility needs like dyslexia and ADHD. Art of Fauna earned praise for blending conservation storytelling with VoiceOver support and haptic feedback.
Interaction Refined for Apple Devices
Taobao’s integration with Apple Vision Pro was a showcase of spatial computing in everyday applications, offering immersive 3D product previews. DREDGE brought narrative-driven gameplay to life with fluid controls across iPhone, iPad, and Mac.
Visual Splendor and Design Precision
Feather: Draw in 3D transformed the iPad into a creative powerhouse with 3D drawing capabilities. Infinity Nikki delivered a spellbinding visual experience that fused whimsical world-building with premium animation and design.
Fun with Flair
CapWords engaged users with interactive sticker-based language learning. Balatro’s inventive card mechanics and strategic depth made it a standout in game design. Finalists brought fun through vibrant interfaces, storytelling, and sensory delight.
Apps That Make a Difference
Watch Duty proved crucial during wildfire emergencies, while Neva told an emotionally rich story about the environment and human connection. Finalists showcased missions rooted in empathy, social awareness, and empowerment.
The Global Developer Community
The Apple Design Awards 2025 winners and finalists come from a wide array of countries and backgrounds — a testament to the global reach of Apple’s developer tools and ecosystem. This year’s roster once again included both indie developers and well-established studios, showing that creative brilliance and technical mastery know no size or borders.
Apple continues to emphasize the role of its platforms in supporting this diversity, particularly through initiatives like App Store Small Business Program, Apple Entrepreneur Camp, and developer tools such as Swift Playgrounds and Xcode.
A Showcase of What’s Possible on Apple Platforms
The Apple Design Awards aren’t just a celebration — they’re also a benchmark for what’s possible on Apple’s platforms. Apps honored this year demonstrated full use of the unique features across iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, and visionOS. Whether using the Apple Pencil, Dynamic Island, haptic feedback, accessibility APIs, or spatial computing, these apps were built for Apple hardware from the ground up.
Apple highlighted the apps’ integration with the latest updates, including iOS 19, macOS Sequoia, and visionOS 3, showcasing the synergy between hardware and software that defines the Apple experience.
Developer Recognition at WWDC 2025 and Why These Awards Matter
The winners were officially announced at the start of WWDC 2025, giving them the spotlight during Apple’s most important developer week of the year. Alongside the accolades, winners gain additional visibility on the App Store and benefit from direct support from Apple to continue growing their platforms.
As part of its commitment to nurturing talent, Apple is also making available a series of behind-the-scenes interviews and developer case studies to help others learn from the strategies and inspiration behind these standout apps.
The Apple Design Awards go beyond surface-level aesthetics. They reinforce Apple’s vision that great software should be delightful, responsible, inclusive, and transformative. In a world overflowing with apps, the winners stand out not only for what they do — but how they do it.
If you’re a developer, creative, or tech enthusiast, the Design Awards serve as a roadmap of inspiration and a challenge to raise the bar.
