The sixth edition of the popular MTN Business App of the Year Awards has kicked off and local app developers are invited to submit their apps for consideration in the country’s premier app development competition.
Nomination entries will be considered in the following categories:
- Best Enterprise Solution
- Best Consumer Solution
- Best Incubated Solution
- Most Innovative Solution
- Best Breakthrough Developer
- Best Educational Solution
- Best South African App
- Best Agricultural Solution
- Best Health Solution
In line with its quest to adjust to the ever-evolving technology landscape, the MTN Business App of the Year Awards has introduced three new categories this year, namely:
- Best Gaming Solution – with a focus on African gaming.
MTN is particularly excited about the introduction of this category. Creating the world’s most popular games is not only for developers overseas. The aim of this addition to the MTN Business App of the Year line-up is to encourage and support the growth and development of African gaming apps, created by African developers, for African gamers in addition to gamers around the world.
- Best ‘Women in STEM’ Solution – for submissions by women and girls related to Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.
- Best Financial Solution – for submissions that provide financial solutions to customers of the financial sector.
To enter, app developers can submit their entries at: appoftheyear.co.za
The overall winner of the MTN Business App of the Year will walk away with a prize to the value of R200 000. This will go towards guidance and mentorship via the MTN Start Up Program – which seeks to assist innovators turn their solutions into commercially viable and sustainable businesses.
Mandisa Ntloko, General Manager of Enterprise Marketing: MTN Business SA, says the stimulation and promotion of home grown solutions demonstrates MTN’s commitment to champion the app development movement.
“MTN Business App of the Year Award has acted as a spring board for innovators and entrepreneurs to not only create solutions that assist society, but also to launch and grow sustainable businesses that provide cutting-edge solutions to customers, contribute to economic growth and create much-needed employment opportunities.Moreover, this initiative signals MTN’s commitment to champion the local app development movement by incentivising them to create solutions that meet the challenges we face in the digital age,” says Ntloko.
The MTN Business App of the Year Awards has grown in leaps and bounds since it was launched six years ago. From its humble beginnings with 50 apps submitted in its maiden year, the competition attracted over 500 entries in 2016.
The competition has given impetus and monetised a number of apps, which are commonly used today.
SnapScan, the payment app that emerged as the overall winner in the 2013 edition of the competition, is one of the success stories of MTN Business App of the Year Awards. The online payment portal has since been bought by one of the big four banks in South Africa, and is now used by over 20 000 merchants across the country.
WumDrop, an on-demand delivery start-up, walked away with the Best Enterprise App and was the Best Overall App in 2015. Operating in Johannesburg and Cape Town, the app enables users to pick up and drop off anything across the country. Well known South African retail brand, The Foschini Group, partnered with WumDrop to push boundaries with the delivery service.
Domestly was crowned the overall winner at last year’s event, as well as taking home the Best Consumer App title. The app makes it easier to browse, book and pay a cleaner, and enables the cleaners to manage their bookings, money and find maps and directions to each booking. Domestly created 600 sustainable jobs in the first six months of going live, and an additional 100 since winning the MTN Business App of the Year Awards.
Tuta-Me is an on-demand service linking learners and teachers. Tuta-me won Best Enterprise Development App at the 2016 awards, growing their base by over 2 000 users on their platform. The developers behind the app have managed to raise significant funding for their business since taking the 2016 accolade.
The cut-off date for entries for this year’s competition is 14 September 2017. This will be followed by preliminary judging on 19 September 2017and final adjudication on 26 September 2017. The grand prize winner and front runners in each category will be announced at a gala awards event which will be hosted in Johannesburg on 12 October 2017.
Updates on the competition will be posted on @MTNBusinessZA on Twitter, and remember to follow #MTNAppAwards.
