2021 Apple Design Award Winners Include CARROT Weather, Genshin Impact, Bird Alone, Little Orpheus and More

Apple today announced the apps and games that are receiving a 2021 Apple Design Award for outstanding app design, innovation, ingenuity, and technical achievement, with winners including CARROT Weather, Genshin Impact, Alba, Bird Alone, League of Legends: Wild Rift, Little Orpheus, and more.

apple design awards
Winners were selected in categories that include Inclusivity, Delight and Fun, Interaction, Social Impact, Visuals and Graphics, and Innovation, with a full list of winning apps available below.

Inclusivity
- Voice Dream Reader (App)
- HoloVista (Game)

Delight & Fun
- Little Orpheus (Game)
- Pok Pok Playroom (App)

Interaction
- CARROT Weather (App)
- Bird Alone (Game)

Social Impact
- Be My Eyes (App)
- Alba: A Wildlife Adventure (Game)

Visuals and Graphics
- Loóna (App)
- Genshin Impact (Game)

Innovation
- NaadSadhana (App)
- League of Legends: Wild Rift (Game)

During each Worldwide Developers Conference event, Apple chooses developers to receive the App Design Award, and more than 250 developers have been recognized over the last 20 years. This year's winners are receiving a physical award and hardware to continue creating apps and games.

Popular Stories

iphone 16 display

iPhone 17's Scratch Resistant Anti-Reflective Display Coating Canceled

Monday April 28, 2025 12:48 pm PDT by
Apple may have canceled the super scratch resistant anti-reflective display coating that it planned to use for the iPhone 17 Pro models, according to a source with reliable information that spoke to MacRumors. Last spring, Weibo leaker Instant Digital suggested Apple was working on a new anti-reflective display layer that was more scratch resistant than the Ceramic Shield. We haven't heard...
iPhone 17 Air Pastel Feature

iPhone 17 Reaches Key Milestone Ahead of Mass Production

Monday April 28, 2025 8:44 am PDT by
Apple has completed Engineering Validation Testing (EVT) for at least one iPhone 17 model, according to a paywalled preview of an upcoming DigiTimes report. iPhone 17 Air mockup based on rumored design The EVT stage involves Apple testing iPhone 17 prototypes to ensure the hardware works as expected. There are still DVT (Design Validation Test) and PVT (Production Validation Test) stages to...
iphone 17 air iphone 16 pro

iPhone 17 Air USB-C Port May Have This Unusual Design Quirk

Wednesday April 30, 2025 3:59 am PDT by
Apple is preparing to launch a dramatically thinner iPhone this September, and if recent leaks are anything to go by, the so-called iPhone 17 Air could boast one of the most radical design shifts in recent years. iPhone 17 Air dummy model alongside iPhone 16 Pro (credit: AppleTrack) At just 5.5mm thick (excluding a slightly raised camera bump), the 6.6-inch iPhone 17 Air is expected to become ...
Beyond iPhone 13 Better Blue

20th Anniversary iPhone Likely to Be Made in China Due to 'Extraordinarily Complex' Design

Monday April 28, 2025 4:29 am PDT by
Apple will likely manufacture its 20th anniversary iPhone models in China, despite broader efforts to shift production to India, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In 2027, Apple is planning a "major shake-up" for the iPhone lineup to mark two decades since the original model launched. Gurman's previous reporting indicates the company will introduce a foldable iPhone alongside a "bold"...
apple watch ultra yellow

What's Next for the Apple Watch Ultra 3 and Apple Watch SE 3

Friday April 25, 2025 2:44 pm PDT by
This week marks the 10th anniversary of the Apple Watch, which launched on April 24, 2015. Yesterday, we recapped features rumored for the Apple Watch Series 11, but since 2015, the Apple Watch has also branched out into the Apple Watch Ultra and the Apple Watch SE, so we thought we'd take a look at what's next for those product lines, too. 2025 Apple Watch Ultra 3 Apple didn't update the...
AirPods Pro 3 Mock Feature

AirPods Pro 3 Just Months Away – Here's What We Know

Tuesday April 29, 2025 1:30 am PDT by
Despite being more than two years old, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 still dominate the premium wireless‑earbud space, thanks to a potent mix of top‑tier audio, class‑leading noise cancellation, and Apple's habit of delivering major new features through software updates. With AirPods Pro 3 widely expected to arrive in 2025, prospective buyers now face a familiar dilemma: snap up the proven...
iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 13 New Features

Wednesday April 23, 2025 8:31 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of April 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...
iPhone 17 Pro on Desk Feature

All iPhone 17 Models Again Rumored to Feature 12GB of RAM

Tuesday April 29, 2025 3:36 am PDT by
All upcoming iPhone 17 models will come equipped with 12GB of RAM to support Apple Intelligence, according to the Weibo-based leaker Digital Chat Station. The claim from the Chinese leaker, who has sources within Apple's supply chain, comes a few days after industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said that the iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max will all be equipped with 12GB of RAM. ...

Top Rated Comments

4jasontv Avatar
51 months ago

$27 a year for a weather app subscription?? Are all those reviews for carrot cake or something? Whats the “feature” worth this subscription?
Agree that it's overpriced, but it has a unique position.

1. Claims to the minute accuracy of rain and snow starting and stopping.
2. Speaks to you like you are human garbage.
3. Pretty.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BigMcGuire Avatar
51 months ago
Congrats Carrot Weather! One of my most used applications - and has the middle complication on my watch for years! Absolutely love the control of the data this application provides.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
HALE101 Avatar
51 months ago
Good job meatbag! I mean carrot!
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
farewelwilliams Avatar
51 months ago
i actually don't like carrot weather's design.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Okasian Avatar
51 months ago
Carrot huh? Just installed.

A weather app with a personality? that could evoke an emotional response.

In a sea of blandness, this is an interesting (and maybe compelling) find.

Will evaluate. Thanks for the heads-up.

Attachment Image

Attachment Image
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Smigit Avatar
51 months ago

$27 a year for a weather app subscription?? Are all those reviews for carrot cake or something? Whats the “feature” worth this subscription?
A good chunk of the cost would be going towards the weather data, which isn’t free at scale. Most of the sources integrated with maybe offer 500 or 1000 calls a day per API key, but as the developer is using their key across the user base they need to pay for their user base to access the weather data.

Beyond that you pay for updates and the like to the app itself, and new features.

Whether that’s worth paying for is up to you. Many people are happy with the Apple weather app or one of the sources that’ll provide the data free via a search. Subscriptions for weather apps isn’t a new thing but, many have it, and it gets you a UI you might like more, additional data or features such as integrating your own weather station (or pulling data from other people’s in the area).

Personally I agree it’s a decent amount to spend, but it’s not unreasonable for those that make heavy use of the app. Having a choice of 7 providers will likely mean better weather data for many people compared to what Weather Channel provides Apple, too.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)