Every year, the Apple Design Awards recognizes the best apps for iOS and Mac. The initiative sparks creativity, originality and innovation in the apps being made available to the millions of Apple loyalists. Receiving the award is no small feat.
Here is the list of the 12 apps that received the accolade from Apple this year.
Shadowmatic
The app is meant only for iOS and available for $2.99 from the App store. The app is an imaginative puzzle game where users have to rotate abstract objects in a spotlight for finding recognizable shapes in projected shadows that are relevant to the neighboring environment.
The game has great visuals as well as captivating and relaxing gameplay.
Metamorphabet
Metamorphabet is an interactive and playful alphabet teaching game mainly meant for young learners. Users tap and swipe alphabets to play and learn. The alphabets transform in different shapes. For example, "F" turns into a foot, fan and more.
The app has a very user friendly interface and is a great educational tool for children. Metamorphabet is compatible with iOS 7 or above and costs $3.99 from to download from the App store.
Robinhood
Robinhood is a stock trading app that allows users to view market data in real-time. Users can also build a personalized watchlist and place trades from the tip of their fingers. The app is available for iPhones, iPads and Apple Watch.
Robinhood is compatible with devices running on iOS 7 or above and is available as a free download from the App store.
Affinity Designer
Affinity Designer is a graphics design app meant only for Mac. The app allows fast, smooth and precise graphic designing experience to creative designers. The app has intuitive and flexible user interface that allows creation of cool icons, marketing material, concept art and more.
Affinity Designer is available from the Mac App store for $39.99 and is compatible with OS X 10.7 or later.
Crossy Road
Don't ask the question "Why did the chicken cross the road?" In this fun app users have to make the chicken cross the road safely. Crossy Road is an addictive and endless game but full with surprises. The app has great voice design and hilarious collision animations.
The app is available only for iOS and can be found as a free download from the App store.
Fantastical 2
The Fantastical 2 is a calendar and reminders app that offers a full calendar window with day, week, month and year view. The app allows for quick event creation. The location-aware calendar also helps manage schedules for users who are on the go. The mini window feature is a great companion to a busy person.
Fantastical for Mac is available for $39.99, for iPad it costs $9.99 and for iPhone $4.99.
Workflow
Workflow is a personal automation tool that enables users to drag and drop any combination of actions for creating powerful workflows. The app has more than 200 actions for Calendars, Contacts, Music, Maps, Photos and more. Users can create animated GIFs, get location to the nearest coffee shop and more with just simple taps.
The app is made only for iOS devices and is compatible with iOS 8 or above. Workflow can be downloaded for $2.99 from the App store.
Does Not Commute
Does Not Commute is a strategic driving game meant only for iOS. The app has a 1960s aesthetic design, which is incorporated in every detail of the game. Does Not Commute is fairly easy to play at the initial levels but the complexity increases in later levels.
The game is compatible with iOS 6 and above and is available as a free download from the App store.
Vainglory
Vainglory is a multi-player online battle arena game that has lightning fast game controls. Even judges of the Apple Design Awards have praised the game's visual effects and graphics. Vainglory has impressive environment and 100 characters to play with.
The game is available for free from the App store and required iOS 6.1 or later.
Pacemaker
Pacemaker may sound a health app to many but it is actually a music mixing app. Pacemaker can be useful to aspiring DJs who want to create their music using an iPhone or iPad. The app can take music from iTunes as well as from Spotify and lets users to add in many types of sound effects.
Pacemaker is available as a free download from the App store and users will need a device running on iOS 8 or above to take advantage of the music mixing app.
Elementary Minute - Student Winner
The app is a Student Winner and costs just $0.99 from the App store. Elementary Minute is a simple but fast-paced quiz game that has a consistent, clean and legible design. Users can opt to take a quiz on a variety of subjects such as mathematics, geography and more.
jump-O - Student Winner
jump-O is yet another puzzle game but it has minimalistic design and art. Users play as a circle in a square world where they have to jump at the right time to avoid bullets and spikes. Dodging the bullets and spikes takes a player to the next level where more spikes and bullets awaits.
The app can be downloaded for free and is compatible with devices running on iOS 7.1 and above.
