Four prizes – gold, silver, 2x bronze
The “ADC Awards” are one of the oldest creative awards in the industry. Founded in 1920, the competition for advertising, (digital) media, graphic and product design, photography and illustration focuses on artistry and quality craftsmanship. In the most recent round, “iOS 26 Liquid Glass” was awarded a Gold Cube in the Interactive/UX/UI category. There is also a Silver Cube for digital experiences and two Bronze Cubes in the areas of consumer experience and innovation.
Jury evaluates coherence and brand management
If you remember the problems mentioned at the beginning, there seem to be quite a few contradictions here. From a jury’s perspective, however, a design can be worthy of a prize for visual design, brand management and system coherence, while users and interface designers at the same time express justified criticism. The Gold Cube does not mean that all of Liquid Glass’s UX problems have been resolved – the best suitability for everyday use and usability under real usage conditions is not a central evaluation criterion.
Reason not published
The jury’s exact reasoning is not yet available. What is particularly publicly understandable is Apple’s own submission text, which describes Liquid Glass as a cross-platform design system with a focus on coherence, material effect, typography, iconography and sensor-based parallax. The price shows not so much that Liquid Glass works perfectly in everyday life, but rather that it is impressive as a design system – and that Apple is receiving support from the creative industry for this.