Walking in the footsteps of Apple, Google announced on Friday that it will be hosting the first ever Android app awards during its I/O conference in May. The company is showcasing five nominees across 10 award categories and is featuring them in a dedicated collection on Google Play.
The session, Google says, will be called ‘Google Play Awards’ and the winners will be decided based on various different criteria like quality, user experience and innovation. The final decisions will be made by a “panel of experts”.
The awards from Google focus on different separate categories, instead of just the best app awards over different platforms like Apple’s approach. The company has also got categories which promote the fact that its platform is also home to innovative technology and startups.
Other categories have to do with the design, the usefulness of the app and yeah, the all important best app and best game.
The categories Google has listed include Standout Startup which are apps from new developers that offer a unique experience while achieving strong install growth, Standout Indie which are games from indie developers that focus on artistic design, high quality and innovative gameplay, Best Families App which are services with family friendly design that encourage creativity and exploration, Best Use of Material Design which awards outstanding implementation of Google’s visual styles, Best Use of Google Play Game Services which recognizes apps that bring the best using Play Services, Early Adopter– apps that are easy to use and understand, Go Global which are apps that are popular in multiple regions, Most Innovative i.e. apps that unique experiences and finally the Best App and the Best Game.
Here are the nominees :
Any third party app can be eligible for being nominated for these awards, the only requirement is that the app should have been launched or undergone a major update in the last 12 months.
