Dubai: Chinese tech giant Huawei is conducting a global contest for app developers, including for the first time the ‘best Arabic app’. This move is to encourage regional developers to create app solutions that address the region’s needs and, at the same time, enrich Arabic content.
The Apps UP 2022 competition includes five regions: Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, Middle East and Africa, and China. The Top Three outstanding apps in the Arabic language or apps that support the dialectal selection will take home the award.
“We aim to encourage talents within the regional app development communities to create locally-relevant digital solutions that can have a global impact,” said Ammar Tobba, VP for Public Affairs and Communications, Huawei Middle East Region and Director of Arabic Media Centre. Huawei has set aside more than $1 million as prize money for the competition, in addition to incentives such as vouchers from AppGallery Connect. Around $230,000 has been dedicated to developers in the Middle East and Africa, with individual prizes amounting from $5,000 to $15,000.
Participants also get the opportunity to engage with experts and have their apps evaluated by a judging panel. The AppGallery is one of the three leading app marketplaces, and developers on the platform can reach 730 million global Huawei device users. They also join a growing community of 5.4 million registered Huawei developers worldwide.
The categories include the Best App, Best Game, Best Social Impact App, All-Scenario Coverage Award, Tech Women’s Award and the Best Huawei Mobile Services (HMS) Innovation Award. The HMS Innovation Award encourages developers to create apps that integrate new HMS capabilities and services. In parallel, the Student Innovation Award recognizes outstanding student developers that showcase innovative creations.
