Apple Design Awards 2012 nominations open

Apple has begun accepting nominations for the 2012 Apple Design Awards for well-designed, state of the art, and innovative apps. The awards have been based on different criteria every year since Apple began the tradition back in 1996. This year the nominees are limited to apps distributed through the App Store or the Mac App Store.

Apple hasn't specified the categories yet for the awards, giving only three main criteria. First is that the app must be well-designed, meaning that it is inviting, engaging, easy to use, intuitive, and compelling. The second is that the app must be state of the art, taking advantage of the latest hardware and OS releases to offer rich functionality, high performance, and extensive system integration. Third is that the app should be innovative.

The app must be available on the App Store or the Mac App Store by May 1, 2012 to qualify. Apps don't necessarily have to be nominated in order to win an Apple Design Award and neither does the number of nominations decide the winner. The winning apps will be announced at this year's WWDC 2012, which is taking place in June. For more details, visit the Apple Design Awards page.

[via Ars Technica]