App & Mobile Site Awards Categories
These categories recognize excellence in mobile websites and apps.
Nominations that won in the 2024 ABAs may be resubmitted for consideration in the 2025 ABAs. If they have been updated with recent achievements, they may be submitted to the same categories in which they won. If they have not been updated, they must be submitted to categories different from those in which they won.
Information to be submitted online for entries in these categories for the 2025 ABAs will include
a. An essay of up to 200 words describing the mobile site or app's purpose and results to date.
b. The mobile site or app itself, in the form of a demonstration video of up to three (3) minutes in length. You must attach the video to your entry through our attachment/link uploading tool.
c. Optionally, you may list creative and production credits for your site or app - a list of the people and organizations that contribute to its development
F55. Arts & Culture
Apps built to promote or enhance the experience of art, an event, or a cultural institution, such as museums, parks, zoos, gardens, aquariums, theaters, arenas, and so on.
F56. Business/Government
Apps built for general business- or government-related purposes that are not addressed by one of the other app categories available.
F57. Education, Science & Reference
Apps developed for the distribution of educational content or reference material for subjects like science, the environment, geography, etc.; and formats including dictionaries, thesauruses, or encyclopedias.
F58. Entertainment & Sports
Apps developed for entertainment and sports content, such as games, news, gossip, humor, music, fantasy leagues, and reviews. These may be offshoots of established broadcast or online news and entertainment operations, or developed specifically for the mobile device.
F59. Events
Apps built to offer registration, guidance, navigation, networking, and other functions to attendees, exhibitors, and/or sponsors of professional events.
F60. Experimental & Innovation
The use and/or implementation of groundbreaking technology or unconventional applications in apps and environmental situations. Entries in this category may be theoretical, pre-production technologies pushing the boundaries and definitions of handheld mobile device experiences.
F61. Family & Kids
Apps that feature interactive content, games, education, or tools specifically for children, families, and parenting.
F62. Fashion & Beauty
Apps created to provide beauty- or fashion-related services to users, such as simulations, modeling, and recommendations.
F63. Financial Services / Banking
Apps providing financial services and/or information. These include online stock trading, financial news, mortgage information, credit cards, or investor relations and services.
F64. Food & Drink
Apps developed to offer services, advice, recommendations, and/or utilities related to food and beverage preparation, storage, or consumption.
F65. Games
Apps built to provide a gaming experience to users.
F66. Guides/Ratings/Reviews
Apps that offer users the ability to create or access ratings and reviews of products, services, experiences or other things.
F67. Health, Wellness & Fitness
Apps that promote personal health, well-being, and fitness. These include medical and health services, physical education platforms, fitness videos, and references.
F68. HR & Employee Experience
Apps that help organizations customize an experience for talent and employees, including but not limited to recruitment, talent management, benefits administration, payroll, time tracking, and more.
F69. Learning & Education
Apps designed for the education industry, including but not limited to classroom management, student information, and language learning.
F70. Marketing & Content Management
Apps that help organizations automate, streamline and measure their marketing efforts, including but not limited to CMS, CRM, Social media management.
F71. Messaging
Apps that provide messaging services to users.
F72. Music
Apps providing or related to music: streaming, reviews, ratings, discover, etc.
F73. News
Apps built to provide news and information services to users.
F74. Productivity
Apps that promote productivity in the workplace, from schedules and workflows to list makers and everything in between.
F75. Professional Services
Apps developed by professional service firms to provide resources, account access, research, and other tools to their customers.
F76. Public Service & Activism
Apps that provide or offer access to government services; and apps that encourage or permit users to engage in civic discourse or activity.
F77. Real Estate
Apps that provide real estate-related information and/or services.
F78. School / University
Apps built by or for schools to be used by students, parents, faculty, alumni, boosters, and/or other supporters.
F79 Shopping & Retail
Apps that provide consumers online commerce, marketplaces and retail sales of any products or services.
F80. Social
Social media apps that provide engagement for their users.
F81. Training
Apps developed to provide training, remediation, performance support, certification, testing, or other professional training-related services.
F82. Travel
Apps that provide travel and tourism services and information. These include online agents for purchasing tickets, hotel rooms, rental cars, vacation packages, and other travel services. Includes online travel guides, travel writing, and travel tools.
F83. Utilities & Services
Apps that allow real-world activities to be done on the go. This includes apps and mobile sites, which help organize transportation, edit photos, find jobs, locate housing, make dates; or tools, which facilitate typically offline activities from a mobile device.
F84. Work, Productivity & Collaboration
Apps that help manage communication, organization of information and projects more efficiently across teams, including tools that enable activity management, online appointment management, social collaboration, and web conferencing software, among other collaboration and productivity needs.
F85. Best User Experience
Apps that offer the best user experience through innovative design, personalized data experiences, and useful functionality.
F86. Best User Interface
Apps that set an industry standard of excellence with their user interface design.
F87. Best Use of AI & Machine Learning
Apps that set an industry standard. Best, most innovative use of artificial intelligence and/or machine learning.
F88. Best Use of Augmented Reality
Only augmented reality will be judged here. Best, most innovative use of augmented reality.
F89. Best Use of Generative AI Technology
Apps that leverage generative AI to produce unique content, innovative solutions, or personalized experiences.
F90. Best Visual Design - Aesthetic
Only visual design judged. Apps or experiences where visual design aesthetic is intended to be beautiful, innovative, emotional, and appeal to the senses.
F91. Best Visual Design - Function
Only visual design judged. Apps that set an industry standard of excellence by relying on visual design as a critical part of a functional user experience.
F92. Technical Achievement
Apps that set an industry standard by using new and innovative technology in an outstanding way that improves the overall experience. Could include the use of new Web3 or blockchain technology (NFTs, tokens, crypto-currency etc).