Grug to Pine Hearts: Meet 2026 Apple Design Award winners
What's the story
Apple has announced the winners of its 2026 Design Awards, honoring six apps and six games for their innovation, inclusivity, interaction design, social impact, and visual excellence. The awards celebrate developers who create experiences that combine technical achievement with thoughtful design and platform innovation. Each category features one app winner and one game winner. Let's take a look.
Developer recognition
Categories and criteria for selection
Susan Prescott, Apple's VP of Worldwide Developer Relations, said the winners show how developers continue to create exceptional experiences across Apple platforms. The awards cover six categories: Delight and Fun, Inclusivity, Innovation, Interaction, Social Impact, and Visuals and Graphics. Each category has a winning app and game that stand out for their unique features or contributions to the Apple ecosystem.
Award-winning apps
App winners of the Design Awards
The app winners include Grug (Delight and Fun), Guitar Wiz (Inclusivity), NBA: Live Games & Scores (Innovation), Moonlitt: Moon Phase Tracker (Interaction), Primary: News in Depth (Social Impact), and Tide Guide: Charts & Tables (Visuals and Graphics). Each of these apps offers unique features that enhance user experience on Apple platforms. For instance, Grug is an affirmation app that helps users discover daily wisdom through short reflections and prompts.
Award-winning games
Game winners of the awards
The game winners include Is This Seat Taken? (Delight and Fun), Pine Hearts (Inclusivity), Blue Prince (Innovation), Sago Mini Jinja's Garden (Interaction), Consume Me (Social Impact), and Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition (Visuals and Graphics). Each of these games offers unique gameplay experiences that push the boundaries of what is possible on Apple platforms. For example, Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition was praised for its richly detailed environments, character models, and visual effects on Mac.