What does it take to make an award-winning app? Is it luck? Good design? Your marketing efforts? Or perhaps it is all about functionality or brand recognition? Maybe no one factor can get you that award. Perhaps it is a combination of all of these?
It is nice to be recognized for doing something you love. An award can be that push you have been waiting for that will finally convince you that you are actually good at what you do. Winners dare more and dream bigger. Getting this sort of recognition will propel you to the next level. It will boost your brand recognition and set you apart from the competition.
However, the big question remains, what do you need to do to get the best mobile app awards? Simply making a mobile app is not enough. Creative27 has been making award-winning apps for over a decade. We know a thing or two about building products that people love. Whether it is in UI/UX design, marketing or creating the entire app, our work stands out.
Here are a few key trade secrets that have helped us win all those awards:
- The Client
You need a client who trusts you and believes in your abilities. A great client will allow you to express your creativity and go all out on their project. This is how the best apps come into being. A client who is confident and believes in you is a key ingredient to creating an award-winning app. They should be able to accept new ideas and accept their ideas being challenged by you.
Both you and the client want nothing but the best. Your reputation depends on it, and one would argue that it is almost as important as the investment the client has put in. As long as both you and the client understand this, you are well on your way to making an amazing app.
- The Team
Every great product has an awesome team behind it. From the client’s people to your designers, developers and marketers, it is the people who build the app from the ground up that make it successful.
Once you have done your groundwork and made the best app possible, you can then apply to be considered for some of the awards available for mobile apps.
Here are a some of the best app awards:
- The Best Mobile App Awards
About the Award
Started in 2012, it is one of the most prestigious awards for apps. The BMAA gets you recognition and public attention. Your downloads will spike and you will be featured in the special section of their website for a lifetime.
Categories
They have a list of categories that change every month. For August 2018, they had the Best Casual Game, the Best New Mobile App, Best Mobile App Design, Best Business App of 2018, and Best Mobile App of 2018 categories. You can apply to be considered for any category on their website.
- The Art Directors Club of Europe Awards
About the Award
It recognizes the best European designs in the fields of video, audio, advertisement, packaging, graphics, web and mobile app designs. They get about 50,000 entries every year, so winning in any category is a huge deal.
- Apple Design Awards
About the Award
This award is exclusively for the best iOS apps. Winning this award will catapult your app to the very top of the Apple App Store, along with a massive surge in downloads and media recognition.
Categories
The categories available for this award are the same as the categories in the app store. Every iOS app is eligible, and there is no entry or application fee. Once you publish your app, it immediately gets in the running, and Apple reps will contact you if they like your app.
- Clio Awards
About the Award
It started out in 1960 as an award for accomplishments in TV advertising. Today, it has branched out to include student projects, websites, games, and apps. It has two elimination rounds with only the best applicants making it to the end. The entry fee is $600, and applications are made through their website.
- The CSS Design Awards
About the Award
It is given to projects that bring new solutions to web and mobile app design and development. There are daily, monthly and yearly awards. If you win this award, you will get massive coverage, industry respect and invitations to exclusive projects. The award has a $44 entry fee, but there is no deadline. You can apply on their website.
- The European Design Awards
About the Award
It is a European design magazine award. However, it has a Digital category, where mobile apps and websites can send submissions for consideration. The evaluation criteria have clearly been stated on the website: quality, creativity, general adequacy, usability and technical execution. It has a 140 euro entry fee, but the price is reduced to 112 euros for 5 entries and 40 euros for student entries.
- FWA
About the Award
It is awarded to digital professionals who push boundaries and test the limits of technology. It is pretty strict about gender balance especially in the jury, allowing no less than 100 men and 100 women. They select the project of the day, the week and the month, and there is a yearly project of the year vote. It has no deadlines, but you need to pay 70.5 pounds to participate. Anyone from anywhere in the world can participate.
- Glomo Awards
About the Award
Started in 1996, it awards app development companies that propel the development of better mobile technologies. The awards have evolved with the evolution of the mobile industry, changing from company-focused awards to quality-of-life and business-oriented apps.
Categories
There are currently 8 categories that you can submit to; Mobile Tech, Consumer, Fourth Industrial Revolution, Device, Content and Media, Social Good, Government Excellence Awards and Outstanding Achievements.
- Horizon Interactive Awards
About the Award
It is one of the most prestigious awards in the creative and interactive media field. The jury assesses thousands of websites and mobile apps from all over the worlds, and select the best three in each category. It is possible for one project to get several prizes. It has a $55 entry fee per category. You can submit to as many categories as you want.
- Mobile Premier Awards
About the Award
It was started by Intel in 2007. It is one of the awards with the best ceremonies, where even if you do not win, you will certainly have fun. Before the award ceremony, there is an elimination round called the Appcircus. Here the best contenders are selected. Out of 16 final contenders, three winners are selected and awarded at the main Mobile Premier Awards ceremony.
Categories
There are 3 main categories: the Best App Award, the Audience Award, which is awarded based on a twitter poll, and the Big Impact Award.
- Tappawards
About the Award
It awards applications that are innovative, beautiful and high quality. The Tappawards are also a huge source of inspiration for other designers and design enthusiasts. These awards are different because instead of just awarding a few finalists, each user can assemble their own nominees. This way, as many participants as possible, get attention to their work. They have an application of the day and an application of the month selected by popular vote. It is free to submit your app for consideration and to participate in the voting process.
Final Word
These are just a few of the best app awards in the world. If your app wins any one of them, it is destined for success. Every designer and developer should take the leap of faith and submit their app for consideration in at least one or two awards every year. Even if you do not win, your app gets priceless exposure and you will become motivated to always push yourself to produce increasingly better work. In time, you too will become one of the winners.
