The company noted there was a significant "trend towards helpfulness" this year by developers. With that in mind, it recognized five additional apps. Among them are Shine, which added a section "dedicated to the intersectionality of mental health and Black lives," and United Nations World Food Programme’s ShareTheMeal. 

Apple also commended Niantic for adapting Pokémon Go's gameplay so people could still play amid stay-at-home measures. The other two apps it recognized are Caribu, for bringing many more games and books to its video calling platform, and Explain Everything Whiteboard, for bolstering remote learning with a cloud-based collaboration tool.

These apps and games "proved to be essential for making life easier, healthier and more connected this year," Apple said. For the first time, the company made a physical award it's sending to the developers behind them. The award is made from recycled aluminum and it features the App Store logo on one side and the winner's name on the other.

Apple