Apple Announces Apple design award winners
Apple on Tuesday announced this year’s winners of its prestigious Apple Design Awards (ADA). The company recognized 12 apps chosen from 36 finalists, spanning six categories, from App Store developers around the world whose work “demonstrates innovation, artistry, and technical achievement in app and game design.”
“This year’s Apple Design Award winners are a remarkable reflection of how developers are creating exceptional experiences,” Susan Prescott, Apple’s vice president of worldwide developer relations, said in a statement for the announcement posted to its Newsroom website. “Whether delivering intuitive features or exciting gameplay, these apps and games represent the very best of what our platform makes possible. We are incredibly proud to celebrate these developers and are grateful for their commitment to enriching the lives of people everywhere.”
Pertinent to accessibility, the Inclusivity winner for 2026 is Guitar Wiz. Built by India-based Bijoy Thangaraj, Apple describes the music app—available on iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, and even iMessage—as “an impactful app for new and experienced guitarists, an all-in-one toolkit that provides spoken instructions on everything from pitch to finger placement.” Guitar Wiz supports accessibility features such as Dynamic Type, Increased Contrast, and Differentiate Without Color. As to the Inclusivity category writ large, Apple says it exists to spotlight apps which “provide a great experience for all by reflecting a variety of backgrounds, abilities, and languages.”
Guitar Wiz beat out two other finalists in Hearing Buddy and Structured.
A quick sidebar on the ADA trophy itself. A couple years ago at WWDC, I had a few briefings following the morning keynote. One of them was with the developers behind the since-acquired Oko, the accessible street-crossing app for Blind and low vision people. At the end of our conversation, the guys were gracious enough to let me pick up and hold the actual ADA cube; it was quite a thrill to see and feel one in person, and it’s quite heavy too. The fit and finish Apple’s industrial design group applies to engineering the trophy is as exacting and premium as the consumer-facing products.
I’m no developer, but I’d love one simply to display as a piece of art on a bookshelf.
