Every year at Augmented Planet we ask you, the augmented reality community to vote across a selection of categories to find the best experiences of the year. Unlike other augmented reality awards that are handed out, these awards are entirely decided by you.

Therefore we can confidently say that these awards represent the best examples of augmented reality for 2012.

 

This years voting was open across the following categories:

Best Augmented Reality Browser
Best Developer Tool Or Platform
Best Augmented Reality Application (excluding Browsers)
Best Example of Augmented Reality In Marketing

Best Augmented Reality Browser
This year the winner of the Best Augmented Realty Browser crown, as voted for by you is:

• 1st: Wikitude
  
• 2nd junaio
• 3rd BlippAR

Wikitude retain their crown for an amazing 4th consecutive year, but both BlippAR and Aurasma are two applications too watch out for in the future since both leapfrogged Layar, and pushed Layar out the top 3 for the first time.

Best Developer Tool Or Platform
The winner of the best platform for developers, as voted for by real augmented reality developers is:

• 1st: Wikitude ARchitect
  
• 2nd: metaio Mobile SDK + junaio
• 3rd: Layar & Layar Creator

It was tight at the top, but Wikitude again retain their crown of Best AR Developer Tool for a consecutive second year with their HTML5 and Java wrapper known as ARchitect. What’s interesting about this category is that AR Browsers are still the preferred tool for creating AR applications, with native tools tools like ARToolKit or Vuforia only managing to get 3% of the votes.

Best Augmented Reality Application (excluding Browsers)
We ask readers to vote for their favourite AR applications excluding AR Browsers. The general criteria is that the application should have been released in 2012, but like all the categories, voters are able to vote for anything.

• 1st: Urban Troops ( Future Reality Games )
  
• 2nd: Starwalk (Vito Technology Inc.)
• 3rd: Bugs Mayhem (AR23D)

Urban Troops is first person, AR game available for Android from Future Reality Games. Congratulations to them for being the official Best Augmented Reality Application of 2012.

Best Example of Augmented Reality In Marketing
Finding the best example of AR in a marketing campaign is no mean feat, there are simply hundreds of examples to choose from. However, we ask you to vote and you have chosen your favourite.

• 1st: Ikea Interactive Catalogue (McCann Erickson)
• 2nd: King of the jungle (National Geographic)
• 3rd: Angry Birds (Nokia)

The worthy winner is the interactive AR Ikea catalogue developed by McCann Erickson using metaio’s mobile SDK. We have no doubt that some day, all catalogues will be AR enabled.

That’s it for the official, best examples of AR for 2012 as chosen by you. Congratulations to all the winners and worthy runner ups. Finally, the winner of the Kindle is: Liam Godwin. (I’ll be in touch shortly).

Related posts you may like:

1. Augmented Planet Readers Choice Awards 2012
2. Readers Choice Awards 2011 – Results
3. Augmented Planet Readers Choice Awards Nominations
4. Readers Choice Awards 2010
5. Readers Choice Awards 2010 Winners