Creativity, design thinking and innovation were all on display as the finalists in the South African phase of HUAWEI’s global Apps UP Competition were announced.
Seventeen apps, all of which integrated one or more of HUAWEI’s HMS Integration Kits, made the shortlist. The developers are competing to claim the top spot in one of three competition categories: Most Outstanding App, Most Outstanding Game and Most Socially Impactful App.
All of the finalists will also move on to the regional phase of the competition (Middle East, North Africa and Southern Africa – MEA), where judges will shortlist 20 top regional apps. Public voting of the MEA shortlisted apps, as well as the finalists from the other global regions, will then take place from 5-19 November. The winners of the global competition will be announced towards the end of November.
Based on set global criteria, 17 South African developers were given the opportunity to present their app creations to a panel of local, expert judges, who experienced the apps first-hand on HUAWEI devices. Here are the apps that made the finalist shortlist:
Most outstanding app category
| App name | Developer | App summary |
|---|---|---|
| Pracker | Xolile Mbebe | A price tracking App |
| Pedy | Seyi Ogunbowale | An on-demand physical therapy sessions App |
| MiFalcon | FSK Electronics SA | A security App |
| Swift Report | Hero Entertainment | A misconduct reporting App |
Most oustanding game category
| App name | Developer | App summary |
|---|---|---|
| Gauntlet | Zane Espin | A space action game |
| Slug Hunter | Blue Desert Studios | A space action game |
| Crosswordify | Charles Okot | A crossword digitisation App |
| RapSteady | Hero Entertainment | A musical game |
Most socially impactful app category
| App name | Developer | App summary |
|---|---|---|
| Clik | Clik Tech | An event finder App |
| Essential Medical Guidance | EMGuidance | A medical guide App |
| Load Shedding Notifier | Brent Kleineibst | A load shedding awareness App |
| Chat2Cars | Chat2Cars LTD | An automotive repair App |
| SharCourse | WD The Provider | An educational awareness App |
| MediPrice | Michael Ndjibu Lukusa | A medical guide App |
| Matric 2020 | Ultra-Deep | An educational resources App |
| My Pregnancy Journey | My Pregnancy Journey | A pregnancy educational App |
| Coresthetics | Coresthetics | A personalised, fitness App |
The winners of the three HUAWEI Apps UP categories will be announced in the near future, so keep an eye out for the news!
The judging experience
The esteemed judging panel consisted of top industry experts, including Matsi Modise (SiMODiSA), Du Qingcheng (HUAWEI), Andrew McHenry (Mobile Monday South Africa), Peter Matthaei (Namola), Moataz Mohammed (HUAWEI), Maurice Lau (Silicon Burg), Gerald Neves (SovTech), Michelle Potgieter (HUAWEI), Ranka Jovanovic (ITWeb) and Ritesh Sewsaran (ABSA).
Speaking on her judging experience, Modise said: “There were some very cool apps, different spectrums of development, and some cutting-edge ideas. I would love to see more women developers next time.”
Sewsaran praised the day, calling it an “outstanding event”, adding: “The apps presented were of a high quality and showed real innovation. I believe this contest has highlighted the high level of developers we have among us. The judges were of high quality and a pleasure to interact with.”
Matthaei agreed that the apps were of a high quality, but wanted to see more apps that address African pain points. He concluded: “I hope this is the beginning of creating a bit more of an ecosystem in South Africa and a bit more institutional knowledge around how to create apps. The originality is definitely there, the technical skills are definitely there, now we just need to start focusing a little bit more on thinking about how we grow our users and how we engage our users after we’ve acquired them."
All of these apps can be found and downloaded from HUAWEI AppGallery. Visit the store now by clicking here from your HUAWEI smartphone.
