App Store Awards 2025: Finalists from Germany and Austria

With the year-end approaching, Apple traditionally presents its editorial award in the App Store – and this year is no exception. Among the 45 finalists for the App Store Awards 2025 are developers from Germany and Austria. The editors award the trophy in the categories of innovation, user experience, and cultural impact, across various device classes.

"Insane" – Klemens Strasser from Austria sums up the significance of the nomination for his app "Art of Fauna" in one word. Indeed, it has already been an extraordinary year for the independent developer. Back in the summer, in June, he won the coveted Apple Design Award for his puzzle game, which strongly emphasizes inclusion.

Two Apple Awards in One Year

Should he now also be able to bring home the trophy in the "Cultural Impact" category of the App Store Awards, he would be one of the very few worldwide to have achieved such a combination before. This year's Design Award was his second, and he had been a finalist three times previously. Strasser previously worked at Flexibits and Nuki before going independent to realize his own ideas.

Leo Mehlig can hardly believe his luck either. On X, he expressed his pride in the nomination in an initial reaction. His app Structured, which he developed together with his team in Berlin, is a finalist for iPad App of the Year. The chance of winning the trophy is not small, with only two competitors. Structured is a daily planner with an integrated to-do list that takes a graphical approach. The app has since been downloaded over 15 million times and is available in 30 languages.

Showcase of the App Store

As in previous years, Apple has curated a diverse selection of apps spanning various platforms to showcase the richness of offerings in the App Store. It's a kind of showcase of what's possible on Apple's platforms, how many areas apps can impact, and what developers are capable of. In the "iPhone App of the Year" category, for example, a to-do app (Tiimo), a strength training app (LADDER), and an app for musicians (BandLab) are competing for the trophy. The complete list can be viewed at Apple.

For developers, an App Store Award is a prestigious accolade. The selected apps have all been featured in the App Store throughout the year. The additional nomination at the end of the year, when many devices are gifted and people have leisure time to try out new apps and games, generates further attention. In essence, all finalists are already winners – regardless of whether they ultimately receive the blue block in the App Store icon design or not.

(mki)