2018 MTN Business App of the Year Awards: call for entries open

The seventh edition of the popular MTN Business App of the Year Awards has kicked off. Local app developers are invited to submit their apps for consideration in the country's premier app development competition.

Wanda Matandela, Chief Enterprise Business Officer: MTN Business SA, says promoting the development of home-grown apps is all about enabling and showcasing South Africa's exceptional innovation talent.

"The MTN Business App of the Year Awards is an accelerator for innovators and entrepreneurs to not only create solutions that assist society, but also to launch and grow sustainable businesses. These are businesses that will provide pioneering solutions to customers, contribute to economic growth and create much-needed employment opportunities. The initiative is also a practical demonstration of MTN's continued commitment to champion the local app development movement by encouraging developers to create solutions that meet the wide range of challenges we face in the digital age," says Matandela.

Entries for mobile and desktop apps will be considered in the following categories:

* Best Enterprise App * Best Consumer App * Best Incubated App * Most Innovative App * Best Breakthrough Developer * Best Gaming App (mobile gaming and gamification) * Best Educational App * Best 'Woman in STEM' Developer (in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics) * Best 'South African' App * Best Agricultural App * Best Health App * Best Financial App

The overall winner of the MTN Business App of the Year will walk away with a trip to Silicon Valley to the value of R200 000. Previous winners have made the most of this prize by networking with key players in what is arguably the world's technology and innovation mecca, and have secured investments that have enabled them to take their apps and businesses to the next level.

The MTN Business App of the Year Awards has grown in leaps and bounds since it was launched seven years ago. From its humble beginnings with 50 apps submitted in its maiden year, the competition attracted over 600 entries in 2017.

Over the years, the competition has enabled and monetised a number of apps, which are commonly used today.

Zulzi, an on-demand delivery service app that brings groceries from various different retailers to the doors of its customers within an hour, scooped the Best Breakthrough Developer accolade at the 2017 edition of the awards. The developer saw a significant spike in downloads following participation in the competition.

WumDrop, an on-demand delivery start-up, walked away with the Best Enterprise App and was the Best Overall App in 2015. The app enables users to pick up and drop off anything across the country. WumDrop was recently acquired by Makro to improve delivery.

Domestly was crowned the overall winner in the 2016 edition of the awards, and also took home the title of Best Consumer App. 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 has continued to grow from strength to strength.

SnapScan, the now familiar payment app that took top honours in 2013, is another big success story. The online payment portal was acquired by one of the big four banks in South Africa shortly after winning at the MTN Business App of the Year, and is now widely used across the country.

Tuta-Me, an on-demand service linking learners and teachers, won Best Enterprise Development App at the 2016 awards. The developers 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 6 September. This will be followed by judging, and will culminate in the grand prize winner and front runners in each category being announced at a gala awards event in Johannesburg in October 2018.

To enter, app developers can submit their entries by going to: appoftheyear.co.za.

Updates on the competition will be posted on @MTNBusinessZA on Twitter.