2025 Apple Design Awards Winners and Finalists Announced

As WWDC approaches, Apple has announced the finalists for its annual Apple Design Awards, and in a departure from recent years, the winners too.

This year, there are six categories, and each category has a winning app and game, along with four finalists. Unlike last year, there is no Spatial Computing category this year. The 2025 ADA winners and finalists are:

Delight and Fun

Winners:

App

CapWords by HappyPlan Tech

Game

Balatro by LocalThunk

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

Winners:

App

Play by Rabbit 3 Times

Game

PBJ — The Musical by Philipp Stollenmayer

Finalists:

Moises by Music.AI

Capybara by Digital Workroom Ltd

Pawz by Bootloader Studio Holdings Private Limited

Gears & Goo by Resolution Games AB

Interaction

Winner:

App

Taobao by Zhejiang Taobao Network

Game

DREDGE by Black Salt Games

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

Winner:

App

Speechify by Speechify

Game

Art of Fauna by Klemens Strasser

Finalists:

Evolve by GTA Solutions

Train Fitness by Train Fitness

puffies. by Lykke Studios

Land of Livia by Split Atom Labs

Social Impact

Winners:

App

Watch Duty by Sherwood Forestry Service

Game

Neva by Developer Digital

Finalists:

Ground News by Snapwise

Opal by Opal OS

Ahoy! From Picardy by Daniel Jones

Art of Fauna by Klemens Strasser

Visuals and Graphics

Winners:

App

Feather: Draw in 3D by Sketchsoft

Game

Infinity Nikki by Infold Games

Finalists:

Vocabulary by Monkey Taps

CellWalk by Timothy Davison

Control Ultimate Edition by Remedy Entertainment PLC

Neva by Developer Digital

The winners and finalists include a broad range of games and apps, including some from smaller developers including Lumy, Denim Art of Fauna, Skate City: New York, as well as titles from bigger publishers.

I’m glad that Apple has announced the finalists for the last few years. Winning an ADA is a big achievement for any developer, but it’s also nice to know who the finalists are because it’s quite an honor among the many apps that could have been chosen, too. Plus as a fan of apps, Apple’s longer finalist list always reminds me of an app or two that I haven’t tried yet. Congratulations to all of this year’s Apple Design Award winners and finalists.