Huawei, the global technology giant, has announced the 2021 Huawei HMS App Innovation Contest (Apps UP), a premier global contest for mobile application developers. The competition aims to attract established and emerging talent in the application development space, and showcase their efforts in creating seamless, smart and innovative digital experiences that contribute to a digital, intelligent world. Developers can confirm their participation up until 5 September 2021.

Why participate?

For participants, the 2021 Apps UP contest will allow them to join a rich community of 4.5 million registered developers from around the world, as well as 50 industry experts who will form the panel of judges for the competition. Winners of the contest will also have their apps featured on the Huawei AppGallery, bringing them instant access to a pool of more than 700 million Huawei mobile device users.

Participants will learn more about HMS Core, a powerful ecosystem that enables developers to create smooth user experiences and that supports developers by helping them implement safe and seamless features such as secure sign-in, in-app payments and downloads, ad placement, alerts, real-time positioning, and cloud backup. In addition, developers will establish credibility by receiving certificates upon completing a series of workshops, training modules and online courses on the contest website. So far, the competition has received more than 115 entries from Middle East and Africa, with innovative solutions from categories such as lifestyle, gaming, productivity tools and social media. Developers can learn more about the contest by attending live interactive sessions hosted on Huawei Mobile Services’ YouTube page.

With the recent introduction of HMS Core 6.0, which addresses pain points and provides developers with Huawei’s advanced technologies in media, graphics, telecommunications and other fields, creators can now enjoy features such as volumetric fog, an enhanced AI-powered networking kit, AV Pipeline Kit, and a 3D Modelling Kit that offers AI-based capabilities.

Categories and prizes

Apps UP 2021 features a total reward purse of US$200 000 in cash for each of the five participating regions, with individual prize amounts ranging from $3 000 to $15 000. In addition to the cash prizes, developers will uncover valuable benefits such as development tools and workshops, support and mentorship from Huawei experts, and the opportunity for winning apps to be featured on the Huawei AppGallery.

Contestants can enter individually or as part of a team of up to three members across eight categories. These include Best App, Best Game, Best Social Impact App, Excellent Student Award, Tech Women’s Award, Best HMS Core Innovation Award, Honourable Mention and All-Scenario Coverage Award.

How to participate

Developers wishing to participate will have to register or sign into the Huawei Developers website with a valid Huawei ID to submit their work in ZIP or RAR format (not exceeding 200MB) by 5 September 2021. Winners will be announced in October, following a combination of public voting and a review by judges who are industry leaders from each region.

Developers can enter multiple categories, too. To register and learn more about the Huawei HMS App Innovation Contest (Apps UP) please e-mail [email protected] or visit developer.huawei.com.