Have you ever wondered what the ultimate app out there is? Now you can have your answer thanks to a special awards ceremony. You might not have been aware, but there is an award ceremony hosted for the sole purpose of acknowledging achievements in mobile application development for the year. In fact, winners of the UK Appy Awards were announced on April 11 and the US hosted a similar event, also known as The Appys, in March 2011.

These days, there is an app for almost everything imaginable. The Apple® App Store remains the most popular platform for mobile app downloads, stating that they host more than 350,000 different available apps. And the growth of mobile application development has been tremendous. As this growth becomes more evident, awards events such as these will become an entertaining way to publicize and recognize the best of the best. With time, nominations for top applications will be based on a wider applicant pool, and become increasingly competitive. And really, who doesn’t love a good award show?

Marketing Implications

In the sea of apps available, mobile application marketing becomes crucial to standout. Making a mobile application successful in this growing market is a function of visibility, usability, and retention. Consequently, recognition by organizations hosting awards would be hugely helpful in promoting an app. However, this can be somewhat of a catch 22; in order to be recognized, people have to be aware of your app already. Having a positive presence among key social media groups, bloggers, and other online and offline communities would likely result in acknowledgement. This year’s winners, while experiencing different levels of popularity, all have an irrefutable resonance with the online community.

This Year’s Winners

Last week, the first annual Carphone Warehouse Appy Awards in London were a confirmation of the top sellers across various app platforms. Carphone Warehouse experts narrowed down 50 of the best apps in 10 categories and users had the chance to vote for their favorite. Angry Birds was named the App of the Year and Best Game, affirming its vast popularity. Rovio’s bestseller is the most downloaded game among iOS and Android™ users. Some of the other winners included: Facebook as Best Time-Waster, and Google Maps as Best Time-Saver. The remaining categories were for best game, fashion, lifestyle, money, music, photography, sport, and travel.

APPY AWARD WINNERS

• App of the Year: Angry Birds(UK), Flipboard (US)

• Best Game: Angry Birds(UK), Rhythm Racer 2 (US)

• Best Travel: Trip Advisor (UK), Urbanspoon(US)

• Best Lifestyle: Amazon (UK), The O Magazine (US)

• Best Music: Spotify (UK), MOG (US)

• Best Sport: Sky Sports News (UK), CBS NCAA March Madness on Demand (US)

Similarly, MediaPost hosted an Appy Awards ceremony in San Francisco in March of this year. The iPad™ app Flipboard was named Best in Show – the top honor of the night. Flipboard is an app that makes news, stories, photos, and updates shared across Twitter and Facebook look like pages of a magazine which you can flip through. Additional winners of the night included Urbanspoon in the category of travel, and Rhythm Racer 2 as Best Game. For a full list of winners see mediapost.com

The mere existence of these awards suggests that the industry of mobile apps is one becoming acknowledged and enjoyed by the rest of society. What’s more, the witty approach makes technology enjoyable and relevant to viewers in the public. There are sure to be more events such as these in the future. Consequently, mobile app developers will pine for the top honors and continue to create innovative and great mobile apps for us all to enjoy.

For more information about the mobile application development and mobile app marketing services that Amadeus Consulting provides, please contact us through our website at www.AmadeusConsulting.com