Apple has announced the winners of the Apple Design Awards 2026, recognizing twelve outstanding apps and games. Teams from around the world whose work exemplifies innovation, design excellence, and technical finesse are honored – selected from 36 finalists.
The Apple Design Awards are among the most coveted accolades for developers in the Apple ecosystem. This year, Apple is once again recognizing the best work in six categories, with one app and one game awarded in each category. The winners were selected from 36 finalists worldwide and will be celebrated at WWDC26 – the developer conference whose program and expectations are currently the main focus. Apple's head of development, Susan Prescott, praised the winning teams as impressive proof of the kinds of experiences possible on Apple's platforms – from intuitive features to immersive gameplay.
The winners at a glance
| Category | App | Game |
|---|---|---|
| Joy and fun | grug (Ocho, Netherlands) | Is This Seat Taken? (Poti Poti Studio, Spain) |
| Inclusion | Guitar Wiz (Bijoy Thangaraj, India) | Pine Hearts (Hyper Luminal Games, United Kingdom) |
| Innovation | NBA: Live Games & Scores (NBA Media Ventures, USA) | Blue Prince (Dogubomb, USA) |
| Interaction | Moonlitt: Moon Phase Tracker (Flipping Hues Srls, Italy) | Sago Mini Jinja's Garden (Sago Mini, Canada) |
| Social impact | Primary: News in Depth (Wood Metal Rocks LLC, USA) | Consume Me (Jenny Jiao Hsia and AP Thomson, USA) |
| Graphics and animation | Tide Guide: Charts & Tables (Condor Digital, USA) | Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition (CD Projekt SA, Poland) |
The twelve winners in detail
Joy and fun
This category focuses on memorable, motivating experiences enhanced by Apple technologies. The winning app was grug from Studio Ocho – a playful affirmation app that delivers daily wisdom in the form of tongue-in-cheek "Neolithic grunts," creating small moments of reflection. The best game award went to Is This Seat Taken? by Poti Poti Studio, a cartoon-style puzzle game where players try to unravel the tricky seating arrangements on public transport.
Inclusion
The focus here is on experiences that cater to diverse backgrounds, abilities, and languages. The app award went to Guitar Wiz by Bijoy Thangaraj, a comprehensive guitar toolkit with spoken instructions on pitch and fingering, utilizing features such as Dynamic Type, enhanced contrast, and "distinguish without color." The best game award went to Pine Hearts by Hyper Luminal Games, a moving adventure accessible to players of all skill levels thanks to customizable controls, improved text readability, and adjustable motion and sensory stimuli.
Innovation
This category recognizes innovative use of Apple technologies. Among the apps, NBA: Live Games & Scores by NBA Media Ventures impressed: The application for Apple Vision Pro allows users to follow up to five live games simultaneously, displays statistics via floating leaderboards, and presents plays in tabletop mode on a 3D court – including spatial audio and immersive broadcasts. The best game was Blue Prince by Dogubomb, a genre-bending adventure that combines exploration, puzzles, and narrative depth in a room-by-room structure.
Interaction
The awards recognize intuitive interfaces and effortless operation. The app trophy went to Moonlitt: Moon Phase Tracker by Flipping Hues Srls, which presents moon phases and celestial events through an elegant interface with exemplary liquid glass integration. The best game was Sago Mini Jinja's Garden by Sago Mini, a children's title available on Apple Arcade that focuses on planting, harvesting, and cooking with simple swipe controls.
Social impact
This category recognizes titles that enrich lives in meaningful ways. The app award went to Primary: News in Depth by Wood Metal Rocks LLC, which presents news through a spatial interface designed for Apple Vision Pro and relies on an experienced editorial team. Best game was Consume Me by Jenny Jiao Hsia and AP Thomson, a deeply personal, autobiographical experience that sensitively translates a delicate topic into game mechanics.
Graphics and animation
This is about coherent visual language, finely designed interfaces, and high-quality animations. In the app category, Tide Guide: Charts & Tables by Condor Digital won, a tide tracker with hourly forecasts, animated full-screen diagrams, and Liquid Glass integration with a maritime color scheme. The best game was Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition by CD Projekt, a visually ambitious open-world game that fully utilizes Apple Silicon on the Mac and advanced Metal features.
The finalists in the six categories
In addition to the winners, Apple highlighted four other finalists in each category. In the Fun and Games category, these were Blippo+ (Panic), Metaballs (Apposite), BALL x PIT (Kenny Sun Studios), and PowerWash Simulator (FuturLab, Apple Arcade). The Inclusion category featured Hearing Buddy (Lilly Seay), Structured (unorderly GmbH), Sago Mini Jinja's Garden (Sago Mini, Apple Arcade), and Sid Meier's Civilization VII (Firaxis Games, Apple Arcade).
In the Innovation category, Apple nominated D-Day: The Camera Soldier (TARGO), Detail: AI Video Editor (Detail Technologies BV), Pickle Pro (Resolution Games AB), and TR-49 (inkle). In the Interaction category, The Outsiders: Athlete Tracker (Gentler Stories LLC), Tide Guide: Charts & Tables (Condor Digital), Grand Mountain Adventure 2 (Toppluva AB), and TR-49 (inkle) were among the finalists.
For Social Impact, Katha Room (Parjanya Creative Solutions), Harvee (Peak Labs Ltd.), despelote (Julián Cordero and Sebastián Valbuena), and Spilled! (Lente Cuenen) were nominated. In the Graphics and Animation category, Caradise (PSQV AB), (Not Boring) Camera (Not Boring Software LLC), Arknights: Endfield (Hypergryph), and SILT (Spiral Circus) completed the field.
Design art as a prelude to WWDC
The announcement of the award winners traditionally sets the stage for the developer conference, whose keynote begins on June 8 and can be watched live. This year's selection once again demonstrates the platform's breadth: from small, charming apps to technically sophisticated games, from tools for Apple Vision Pro to titles that push the boundaries of Apple Silicon and Metal. What all the winners have in common is that they not only utilize Apple's technologies but also interpret them creatively and independently. (Image: Apple)
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