WWDC 2025: Apple Design award winners announced

With less than a week left before the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), Apple has announced the winners of 2025 edition of the annual Apple Design awards.

Every year, to encourage innovation and creativity, the Cupertino-based company rewards developers with Apple Design awards.

It is being offered in different categories such as inclusivity, social impact, delight and fun, innovation and more with sub-categories-- apps and games.

Fun and Delight

This year, China-based CapWords, developed by HappyPlan Tech won the Apple Design award for Apple under the delight and fun category.

Other finalists include Lumy (by Raja V, India), and Denim - Playlist Cover Maker (Feel Good Tech, India).

CapWords by HappyPlan Tech, China.

Under the games category, Balatro developed by Canada-based LocalThunk won the top honours. This game is a mix of poker, solitaire, and deck-building. It offers card game challenges for players, who have to beat a score by building unique decks while navigating an ever-shifting array of variables, such as power-up jokers and “Boss Blinds” that can reduce the most lovingly crafted deck to a pile of rubble.

Balatro, LocalThunk, Canada.

'Thank Goodness You’re Here!' by Panic (USA) and Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown by Ubisoft Montpellier (France) were other finalists of the Apple Design award for games under the delight and fun category.

Inclusivity

American Apple Speechify was adjudged the best Apple under Inclusivity. With hundreds of voices and support for more than 50 available languages, Speechify is capable of turning any written text into audio — everything from websites, documents, scans, PDFs, and more.

Speechify by Speechify (USA).

Evolve: Daily Self-Care Coach by GTA Solutions (India) and Canada-based Train Fitness by the company with name-sake were other finalists of Apple Design award for Apples under the inclusivity category.

Art of Fauna by Klemens Strasser (Austria).

Art of Fauna by Austria-based Klemens Strasser was named the best game under the inclusivity category. It is a unique puzzle game that prioritises inclusivity and ecology in equal measure. It draws inspiration from 18th and 19th-century science texts. Art of Fauna’s throwback-style wildlife puzzles can be solved by either re-arranging the image on the front of the cards, or re-ordering the text description on the back.

puffies. by Lykke Studios (Thailand and Cyprus) and Land of Livia by Split Atom Labs (Australia) were the other finalists of the Apple Design award for games under the inclusivity category.

Innovation

Play developed by US-based Rabbittt won the Apple Design award for Apples under the innovation category. This Apple helps designers create interactive prototype mobile applications using native SwiftUI frameworks, which can then be sent to Xcode and used for publishing finished Apples.

Play by Rabbittt (USA).

Moises by Music.AI (Brazil) and Capybara AI Meeting Translator developed by UK-based Digital Workroom Ltd. were other finalists of Apple Design award for Apples under the innovation category.

PBJ — The Musical by Philipp Stollenmayer (Germany).

The PBJ — The Musical developed by German Philipp Stollenmayer. The game is a snack-based musical reboot of 'Romeo and Juliet' played by animated snack condiments through paper cutouts and a catchy soundtrack.

Pawz by Singapore-based Bootloader Studio Holdings and Gears & Goo by Resolution Games AB (Sweden) were other finalists of Apple Design award for games under the innovation category.

Interaction

Taobao, a Vision Pro exclusive app, developed by Zhejiang Taobao Network (China) won the Apple Design award for Apples under the Interaction category. It offers incredible 3D models that are comparable to their physical counterparts, each with smooth interactions, transitions, and intuitive controls. For each 3D product, Taobao takes into consideration placement, position, controls, size, and function, and offers the super-useful ability to compare items side-by-side.

Taobao by Zhejiang Taobao Network (China).

iA Writer by Information Architects AG (Switzerland) and Mela - Recipe Manager by Silvio Rizzi (Switzerland) were other finalists of the Apple Design award for apps under the interaction category.

DREDGE by Black Salt Games (New Zealand).

DREDGE by Black Salt Games (New Zealand) won the Apple Design award for games under the interaction category. This is a slow-paced horror adventure game set in a maritime town where dark and large secrets lurk below the surface.

Gears & Goo by Resolution Games AB (Sweden) and Skate City: New York by Snowman (Canada) were other finalists of the Apple Design award for games under the interaction category.

Social Impact

Watch Duty: Wildfire Maps by Sherwood Forestry Service (USA) won the Apple Design award for Apples under the social impact category. It is a non-commercial app run by volunteers and helps people get real-time updates on wildfires, resources, and guidance in the US.

Watch Duty: Wildfire Maps by Sherwood Forestry Service (USA).

Ground News by Snapwise (Canada) and Opal by Opal OS (USA) were the other finalists of the Apple Design award for apps under the social impact category.

Neva by Devolver Digital (USA)won the Apple Design award for games under the social impact category. Neva revolves around the story of a girl and her wolf as they make their way through a decaying world, using the changing of the seasons to illustrate not just the challenges of their reality but the evolution of their relationship. Players are charged with escorting the pair safely through the game.

Neva by Devolver Digital (USA).

Ahoy! From Picardy by Daniel Jones (USA) and Art of Fauna by Klemens Strausser (Austria) were the other finalists of the Apple Design award for games under the social impact category.

Visuals and Graphics

Feather: Draw in 3D by Sketchsoft (South Korea) won the Apple Design award for apps under the visuals and graphics category. It is a modelling tool that allows artists to easily transform their 2D designs into fully immersive 3D creations.

Feather: Draw in 3D by Sketchsoft (South Korea).

Vocabulary - Learn Words Daily by Monkey Taps (USA) and CellWalk (exclusive to Vision Pro) by Timothy Davison (Canada) were the other finalists of the Apple Design award for apps under the visuals and graphics category.

Infinity Nikki by Infold Games (Singapore) won the Apple Design award for games under the visuals and graphics category. It is an open-world game — which challenges players to collect clothes instead of weapons — is awash in wildly detailed fabrics, beautifully realized lighting, and effects from advanced shading techniques like Global Illumination.

Infinity Nikki by Infold Games (Singapore).

Control Ultimate Edition by Remedy Entertainment PLC (Finland) and Neva by Devolver Digital (USA) were the other finalists of the Apple Design award for games under the visuals and graphics category.

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