MTN Business App of the Year – entries open

The 2021 MTN Business App of the Year Awards are now officially open for entries. It’s been ten years since the birth of this national platform that recognises local champions of app development. The prize money for the top digital developers in the country is at an all-time high this year, with a whopping R 1 million up for grabs.

While many of the categories stay the same as last year, there are two new ones this year. The Campus Cup was launched and is available to students currently enrolled in approved tertiary education facilities, universities, TVET colleges, and incubation hubs. Open to anyone between the ages of 18 and 24, the developer of the most outstanding app will win R 100 000 in prize money and bring national recognition to their place of study.

The year 2021 is also a big year for African developers. There’s the addition of The Best African Solution this year. This category, for the first time, extends to the rest of Africa, inviting app developers and coders from the continent to compete. To be eligible, participants must reside outside of South Africa but within an African country, and their app must be produced in that country.

“Everyone deserves the benefits of a more connected life, which is why MTN continues to spearhead digital transformation through its continued sponsorship of the MTN App of the Year Awards,” says Kholofelo Magagane, head of marketing: MTN Business. “These awards nurture entrepreneurship by providing a platform for developers to be recognised, and the opportunity to make a meaningful living from their passion projects. They also provide solutions for some of South Africans’ most pressing business and personal needs.”

2021 MTN Business categories include:  

• Best Consumer Solution
• Best Women in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) Solution
• Best Enterprise Solution
• Most Innovative Solution
• Best Gaming Solution
• Best Health Solution
• Best Agricultural Solution
• Best Educational Solution
• Best Financial Solution
• Best Hackathon Solution
• Best “South African” Solution
• Best Campus Cup Solution
• Best African Solution
• Huawei Category 15

Once again Huawei have come on board with Category 15. This category was introduced last year and is specifically for apps created for the Huawei App Gallery, that are HMS compatible, or have an HMS toolkit integrated.

The winners of the MTN Business App of the Year in 2021 could join those that came before them, many of whom have gone on to become well-known locally, have been bought out by blue-chip corporations, or have gone on to launch their apps globally.

“The opportunities really are endless – as endless as South Africans imaginations, and their determination to overcome every obstacle in their path with passion and creative energy. It’s this combination that’s sure to see many more successful South African and African app-based businesses emerging – and we’re only too glad to have created platforms that can help them succeed,” Magagane says.

This year MTN Business encouraged app development in South Africa by hosting the MTN Business App Academy, a six-week virtual coding course that culminated in a 72-hour MTN Business Hackathon. The Best Hackathon Solution category is for solutions generated during the hackathon.

Submissions close on 9 August 2021, after which a judging panel of leading tech experts will start the shortlisting process.

Category winners as well as the overall winner will be announced at the MTN Business App of the Year Awards being held virtually on 16 September.

To enter go to https://www.appoftheyear.co.za/submit/