The first MTN Business App of the Year awards were held in Johannesburg last night, to recognise local innovation in the mobile application space.
The independent judges for the awards were Toby Shapshak, Kojo Baffoe, Melissa Attree and Jon Hoehler. The judges sifted through over 160 entries, to shortlist three finalists in each of the 10 categories. The audience at the event then made up the 'fifth judge', selecting a winner from the three finalists by using electronic voting pads.
First National Bank's (FNB's) Banking App application was the star of the show, scooping the prize for 'Best Overall App' along with 'Best Consumer iOS App', 'Best Consumer Android App' and 'Best BlackBerry App'.
Nomalanga Nkosi, GM of MTN Business Marketing, says: “Making a difference through technological innovation is something that can be achieved when there's collaboration. The MTN Business App of the Year is a real reflection of finding talented South Africans that are driving such mobility and exploring the potential that Apps have for social and economic upliftment.
“The key here is to not simply add another new app to an app store. Rather we are looking for an innovative idea that is set to change the way business is conducted, or is set to positively impact users on the socio-economic front,” said Nkosi.
The winners and runners-up in each of the categories were:
Best iOS App (consumer):
Winner: FNB Banking App
Runners-up: go! TravelSA, Die Burger
Best IOS app (enterprise):
Winner: HealthID (from Discovery)
Runners-up: TransUnion Dealers' Guide, RapidTarget
Best BlackBerry app:
Winner: FNB Banking App
Runners-up: DialMedia, Hiive
Best Android app (enterprise):
Winner: TransUnion Dealers' Guide
Runners-up: uCalibrate, Pnet
Best Android app (consumer):
Winner: FNB Banking App
Runners-up: go!Travel SA, Canal Walk
Best HTML5 app:
Winner: RapidTargets
Runners-up: DJ Satchmo, TransUnion Dealers' Guide
Best Windows app:
Winner: Matchy
Runners-up: News24, Mxit
Most innovative app:
Winner: Plascon Inspire Me
Runners-up: SixthSense, go!TravelSA
Best Garage Developer app:
Winner: phraZapp
Runners-up: Any1 Hebrew, SA Cricket News
Best Overall App:
FNB Banking App
Share