On Wednesday, Apple unveiled the winners and finalists of the 2025 Design Awards, celebrating achievements in various app and game categories. Established in 1996, these awards honor developers for their contributions to innovation and technical advancements within apps across Apple devices such as the iPhone, iPad, and Mac. This year, a total of 12 exceptional apps and games were recognized, with the app CapWords earning top honors in the Delight and Fun category, while Speechify was recognized as the leading app for Inclusivity.
2025 Apple Design Awards Winners
| Category | App Winner | Game Winner |
|---|---|---|
| Delight and Fun | CapWords | Balatro |
| Inclusivity | Speechify | Art of Fauna |
| Innovation | Play | PBJ — The Musical |
| Interaction | Taobao app for the Apple Vision Pro | Dredge |
| Social Impact | Watch Duty: Wildfire Maps | Neva |
| Visuals and Graphics | Feather: Draw in 3D | Infinity Nikki |
Delight and Fun
The winners of the Design Awards were detailed in a blog post by Apple. Among the honored apps is CapWords, created by HappyPlan Tech from China, which triumphed in the Delight and Fun category for apps. This app employs Apple technology to create engaging experiences, allowing users to learn language vocabulary by snapping photos of objects, transforming items like coffee mugs and traffic cones into interactive sticker flashcards.
In the games category, Balatro took home the award. Developed by Playstack Limited, this deck-building game combines elements of Solitaire and Poker, where players aim to defeat Boss Blinds by forming robust poker hands.
Inclusivity
The Inclusivity award was claimed by Speechify, a text-to-speech application from a US-based company with the same name. This recognition is reserved for apps that cater to diverse backgrounds, abilities, and languages. Speechify enhances accessibility by converting various text formats, such as website content and PDFs, into audio while offering features like Dynamic Type, VoiceOver, and multilingual voice support in over 50 languages.
For the gaming segment, Art of Fauna received the top honor. This puzzle game allows players to solve wildlife-themed challenges by rearranging images or sorting textual descriptions. It includes accessibility options such as color themes, VoiceOver support, and settings for phobias.
Innovation
The Innovation category was led by Play, developed by Rabbit 3 Times, a US company. This application aids designers in creating interactive apps utilizing native SwiftUI frameworks, which can seamlessly transition to Xcode for app finalization. Play is designed with native iOS elements, including Apple Maps and Swift Charts.
In the gaming sphere, PBJ — The Musical was honored for its innovative features. This stop-motion game narrates a whimsically incorrect tale about peanut butter and jelly’s origins, enriched with animated paper landscapes and music from Lorraine Bowen’s album, as well as remixes from various artists.
Interaction
The Interaction award was presented to the Taobao app designed for the Apple Vision Pro. As an extension of the Chinese e-commerce platform, it allows users to interact with 3D models that mirror their real-world counterparts. According to Apple, this feature enables buyers to compare products by adjusting their positioning and size.
In the games category, Dredge was the recognized winner. This horror-themed role-playing game from New Zealand’s Black Salt Games immerses players in the experience of a fisherman confronted with Lovecraftian horrors during his explorations in an open-world archipelago.
Social Impact
The Social Impact category acknowledges apps addressing significant issues. Watch Duty: Wildfire Maps secured the top position for delivering real-time wildfire mapping and alerts based on submissions from the public, which are subsequently verified by professionals. Apple noted that this app served as a vital source of information during wildfires in San Diego County earlier this year.
The game Neva was chosen as the top entry in this category. This puzzle-platform game follows the journey of a girl and her wolf as they navigate a deteriorating world, with the player tasked with guiding them to safety through an ever-changing seasonal landscape.
Visuals and Graphics
Winning the Visuals and Graphics category was Feather: Draw in 3D, developed by Sketchsoft from South Korea. This application facilitates the transformation of 2D designs into 3D artworks, functioning exclusively on the iPad and optimizing interactions through touch input and Apple Pencil.
Infinity Nikki emerged victorious in the gaming section, overcoming competitors like Control Ultimate Edition and Neva. This free-to-play action-adventure game invites players to explore a vibrant open world, engage with the environment, and uncover hidden secrets through character customization.
