Huawei announces much-awaited 2021 App development competition: Huawei HMS App Innovation Contest (Apps UP)
– Large prize pool includes up to US$200K for developers in MEA
– Unique opportunity for developers in Africa to showcase talent and relevance
Not all superheroes wear capes. Some sit behind a desk conjuring up ways in which they can use technology to make the World a better place. Whether it’s to improve health and education systems or to alleviate stress and improve mental well-being through fun and supportive video games, these apps are always in demand. A call has been made once again to developers around the World to put their skills to the test on a Global stage with the launch of the 2021 HUAWEI HMS App Innovation Contest, Apps UP.
Level up your innovation
The competition aims to inspire talented developers around the World to create seamless, smart, and innovative digital experiences, and explore the future of digital intelligence. By highlighting pioneering HMS open capabilities, the competition gives App developers the tools to build tomorrow’s all-connected World. This includes constructing the future of technology and bringing all-scenario smart life experiences to Huawei end users in over 170 countries and regions, reaching over 650 million Huawei users globally.
Hard work leads to big rewards
The Apps UP competition from Huawei is a real-life example that hard work pays off. The competition will be held in Middle East & Africa, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and China. Huawei has set aside US$1 million from the Shining Star Program as prize money for the contest.
US$200,000 will be allocated for the following award winners in Middle East and Africa:
• Best Application Award
• Best Game Award
• Most Social Impact Award
• Best HMS Core Innovation Award
• All-Scenario Coverage Award
• Excellent Student Award
• Starlight Creative Award, and
• Honourable Mention Award.
This year’s contest also includes a new Tech Women’s Award, and will feature speeches from outstanding women in tech, with the goal of supporting and encouraging – together with HUAWEI Women Developers – female developers in realising their dreams by pursuing groundbreaking work.
Winners are also eligible for additional rewards, such as HUAWEI AppGallery promotional resources, Huawei cloud resources, and exclusive incentives for paid HMS Core capabilities, among others.
The theme for this year’s Huawei HMS App Innovation Contest is “HMS Innovate for All”. How to enter
To enter, participants must register an account on the official competition website, between 14 June and 20 August 2021 and sign up as either an individual or as a team of up to three members. All Apps must be developed integrating HMS Core and submitted on the same website by 20 August 2021. The panel of judges will pre-select work based on social value, business value, user experience and originality, and this will happen between 21 August and 9 September. From there, the top 20 shortlisted apps in each region will be made available to the public to download and vote for their favourites on the competition’s official website or HUAWEI AppGallery from 11 September to 23 September, before making their way to the finals in October. To find out more, click here.
A distinguished judging panel, with diverse professional experience
Judges for the contest include technical experts, executives and founders in finance and tech, leading tech media voices, and representatives from non-profit sectors. Their abundant experience will prove invaluable to contestants, inspiring them to greater heights.
Over four million entrants
The 2020 HUAWEI HMS App Innovation Contest attracted more than 3,000 teams from over 170 countries and regions in the five competition regions. 20 outstanding Apps were shortlisted in each region, among thousands of HMS innovative Apps submitted. These Apps covered every facet of daily life, inspiring smart experiences in health and fitness, education, agriculture, environmental protection, transportation, and public safety, among many others. The contest reached more than four million developers. Standout entries from South Africa, which were recognised and rewarded, were as follows:
• Pregnancy educational App, My Pregnancy Journey – Best App and Best Social Impact App winner
• Space adventure game, Gauntlet – Best Game winner
• Space adventure game, Slug Hunter – Honourable Mention
• Load shedding informational App, Load Shedding Notifier – Honourable Mention
END
About Huawei Developer resources
Huawei Mobile Services (HMS) provide global developers with unique hardware and software synergy, powering unprecedented success, with solutions that facilitate efficient development and quick customer acquisition. All-device distribution through a single point of access, allows developers to focus solely on innovation, providing Huawei device users with the best possible seamless smart experiences.
Fully-open HMS Core: All HMS Core capabilities are open to developers. HMS Core 5.0 was officially launched in June 2020, opening up seven domains: App services, graphics, AI, media, system, security, and smart device, with a total of 60 kits and more than 12,000 APIs. To support efficient integration of HMS Core, Huawei provides a range of development tools, such as HMS Toolkit and Reality Studio, which enable developers to quickly build acclaimed apps at remarkably low costs.
Full-process support service: The HMS Connect platforms provide developers and partners with comprehensive services, including development, testing, release, and operations, among many others. AppGallery Connect, which is closely related to the contest, offers support across the entire app lifecycle: Innovation, development, distribution, operation, and analysis, helping developers carry out optimally efficient operations.
Full-lifecycle support: HUAWEI Developers provides efficient one-stop operations support services covering the entire app and service development lifecycle. The platform is supported in Chinese, English, and Russian. It’s capable of verifying the identity of enterprises, individuals, merchants, and customers that have registered for a HUAWEI ID, and offering a wide array of services, including reporting, Email Direct Marketing (EDM), direct messaging, and advertising through Huawei’s official media channels. Furthermore, developers can enjoy access to real time technical support. Payments generated from apps and services are supported in more than 200 countries and regions and across a broad range of currencies.
