13 companies doing really innovative things on mobile

South African public transport app GoMetro was among the winners at the Meffys — an international awards ceremony for measuring success and rewarding innovation across the mobile ecosystem.

Organised by MEF, the global community for mobile content and commerce, the awards are now in their 11th edition and are judged by an independent panel of 40 journalists, academics, analysts and VCs from around the world.

This year’s Meffys received 250 entries from over 30 countries.

Mobile Education, mHealth, and Big Data – the new award categories for 2014 –illustrate the diversity of the mobile landscape as it continues to expand across new vertical sectors in both growth and established markets. Moreover, the ultimate winners have been recognised for their role in establishing the primacy of mobile in playing a central role in consumers’ everyday lives.

Rimma Perelmuter, CEO at MEF said: “Every year the Meffys capture the dynamism of the mobile ecosystem, with the winners providing a unique window on how the industry is pivoting to provide an enhanced consumer experience and driving monetisation.

The Meffys also demonstrate that mobile has the power to transform growth economies and drive social inclusion whilst also enabling more traditional verticals like education, health and publishing to innovate and disrupt traditional business models.

“This year, a record number of global entries – from Tanzania to the United Arab Emirates and Brazil to the Philippines – have established mobile as the ultimate platform to entertain, engage and enrich consumers around the world. Congratulations to all of the 2014 winners and thank you to all of the judges, sponsors and media partners.”

Here is the full list of winners:

The Big Data Award
Alpine Data Labs for Alpine Chorus

The Consumer Trust Award
The Wireless Registry for Take Control of Your Wireless Identity

The Mobile Education Award
Wikimedia Foundation for Wikipedia Zero

The mHealthAward
Eko Devices for Eko Devices

The Life Tools Award
SwiftKey for SwiftKey Keyboard

The Mobile Money Award
Smart e-Money Incorporated for Mobile Cash Transfer Program

The Mobile Service Award
Mahindra Comviva for Econet Eco$ave powered by Mahindra Comviva mobiquity Money

The Monetization & Engagement Award
Pollen for Pollen VC

The Social and Entertainment App Award
Bitstrips for Bitstrips

The Social Responsibility & Development Award
Wikimedia Foundation for Wikipedia Zero

The Innovative App Award
Blippar for Blippar

The Innovation in a Growth Market Award
GoMetro for GoMetro Mobile Website

The Innovation in Technology Award
Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. for Qualcomm Vuforia Smart Terrain