This year's Apple Design Awards is only for apps distributed via App Store and Mac App Store

If you develop apps for the iPhone, iPad or Mac and was thinking about submitting your work for the Apple Design Awards at WWDC 2011 this June, you better hurry up and submit your software for inclusion in the App Store or Mac App Store, Apple’s online bazaars for mobile and desktop software. Otherwise, you won’t be able to participate at all, reveals a note at the Apple Design Awards 2011 section on Apple’s site:

This year’s Apple Design Awards will be awarded to developers whose iPhone, iPad, and Mac apps are currently on the App Store and demonstrate excellence in the following areas.

The FAQ page says apps “must be available on the App Store by May 23, 2011, to be considered for an Apple Design Award.”

The Apple Design Awards is a marketing vehicle that recognizes “outstanding achievement and excellence in iPhone, iPad, and Mac app design”.

Developers find out that such a high-profile recognition from Apple and subsequent promotion on the company’s site and the App Store often leads to a huge spike in sales.