Over the past month, readers have helped us draw up a list of the best new creative tech that will go forwards to compete for the Creative Bloq Awards 2023. And we're now ready to reveal the shortlist.
The products below will compete in the second edition of the annual Creative Bloq Awards, which celebrates the best new tech that's emerged for artists and designers in the past 12 months. We created the list by asking readers and our own team of writers and reviewers to nominate their favourite products in 45+ categories covering everything from drawing tablets to cameras and craft tools to game design and laptops.
You can read the Creative Bloq Awards 2023 shortlist in full below, and visit the Creative Bloq Awards 2023 website for more details. The winners of each category will be decided by a panel of independent judges, with the results to be announced in September.
The CB Awards 2023 nominations: drawing tablets
Drawing Tablet of the Year
- Xencelabs Pen Display 24
- Wacom Cintiq Pro 27
- Huion Kamvas Studio 24
- iPad Pro 2022
- Xencelabs Pen Tablet Small Bundle
Best Drawing Tablet (Budget)
- XP-Pen Deco MW Pen Tablet
- XP-Pen Deco Pro SW/MW Bluetooth
- Parblo Ninos
- Wacom One S
- UGEE M708
Best Drawing Tablet (Luxury)
- XP Pen Deco Pro
- Huion Inspiroy Dial 2
- Xencelabs Pen Tablet Small Bundle
- Wacom One M
- Huion Inspiroy Giano
Best Pen Display (Budget)
- XP Pen Artist 10 (2nd Gen)
- XP Pen Artist 13 (2nd Gen)
- Wacom One 12
- XP Pen Deco Pro 16 (2n Gen)
- UGEE 15.4-inch Drawing Monitor U1600
Best Pen Display (Luxury)
- Xencelabs Pen Display 24
- Huion Kamvas Studio 24
- iPad Pro 2022 (M2)
- Wacom One 13 touch
- Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra
The CBAwards 2023 nominations: laptops
Laptop of the Year
- ASUS Zenbook Pro 16X OLED
- Dell Inspiron Plus 7620
- ASUS ProArt Studiobook OLED (H7604)
- MacBook Pro 16 M2 Pro/M2 Max
Best Laptop for Gaming
- Alienware m17 R5
- Alienware X15 R2
- ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16
- Predator Helios Neo 16
- ROG Strix Scar 18
Best Lightweight Laptop
Best Chromebook
- Acer Chromebook 516 GE
- Acer Chromebook Vero 514
- ASUS Chromebook Flip CX5
Best Laptop Innovation
- ASUS Spatial Vision
- ASUS Dial
- Framework laptop
- Acer Chromebook Vero 514
- Zenbook 17 Fold OLED
Best 2-in-1 Laptop
- Surface Studio
- Dell XPS 13 9315 2-in-1
- Dell Inspiron 7620 2-in-1
- MSI Summit E16 Flip Evo
- ROG Flow Z13
Most Powerful Laptop
- ASUS ProArt Studiobook OLED (H7604)
- MSI Creator Z17
- MacBook Pro 16 M2 Max
- ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16
- Predator Helios Neo 16
The CB Awards 2023 nominations: cameras
Camera of the Year
- Sony A7R V
- Panasonic Lumix S5 II
- Nikon Z8
- Sony ZV-1 Mark II
Best Camera for Streaming
- GoPro Hero 11 Black
- Sony ZV-1 Mark II
- Obsbot Tiny 2
- DJI Osmo Action 4
Best Camera (Luxury)
- Nikon Z8
- Leica Q3
- Sony A6700
- Fujiflm X-H2
- Panasonic Lumix S5 I
- Sony A7R V
- Sony ZV-E1
- Canon EOS R6 Mark II
Best Camera (Budget)
- Insta360 GO 3
- Canon EOS R100
- Fujifilm Instax SQ40
- Canon EOS R50
- Sony ZV-1 Mark II
- GoPro Hero 11 Black Mini
Best Camera Phone
- Xiaomi 13 Pro Leica-engineered camera
- Honor Magic 5 Pro
- Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
- Google Pixel 7 Pro
- Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max
- Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5
- Filmic Pro
The CB Awards 2023 nominations: gaming
Best Video Game Design
- Immortality
- Planet Of Lana
- Legend of Zelda: Tears of a Kingdom
- Baldur's Gate 3
- Season: A Letter To The Future
Best Art Direction
- Street Fighter 6
- Legend of Zelda: Tears of a Kingdom
- Blasphemous 2
- Hi-Fi Rush
- Pentiment
- Season: A Letter To The Future
- Planet Of Lana
Game Innovation
- PSVR 2
- Horizon: Call of the Mountain
- Legend of Zelda: Tears of a Kingdom
- Immortality
- Synapse
- Viewfinder
- Season: A Letter To The Future
Best Game UI and UX
- Humanity
- C-Smash VRS
- Dead Space (Remake)
- Season: A Letter To The Future
- Immortality
- Rollerdrome
Best Retro Console
- Evercade EXP
- Sega Mega Drive 2 Mini
- ASUS Rog Ally
- Ayaneo Pocket Air
- Analogue Pocket
The CB Awards 2023 nominations: software
Software of the Year
- Unreal Engine 5.2
- DaVinci Resolve 18.5
- Photoshop 2023
- Affinity Designer 2
- Corel Painter 2023
- Rebelle 6
Best Digital Art Software
- Affinity Designer 2
- Corel Painter 2023
- Rebelle 6
- Photoshop 2023
- Clip Studio Paint
Best 3D Software
- Unreal Engine 5.2
- Unity 2023
- Adobe Substance 3D
- Cinema 4D
- ZBrush 2023
- 3ds Max 2023
- Blender 3.6
Best Video Editing Software
- Adobe Premiere Pro
- DaVinci Resolve Studio
- Spyder X2 Ultra
- Lumafusion Multicam Studio
- Final Cut Pro for iPad
Best Software for Graphic Design
- Affinity Designer 2
- CorelDRAW 2023
- Adobe Illustrator 2023
- Figma
- Affinity Photo 2
Best Photo Editing Software
- DxO PhotoLab 6
- Affinity Photo 2
- Photoshop 2023
- Luminar Neo 2023
- Capture One Pro
The CB Awards 2023 nominations: computing
Desktop Computer of the Year
- Mac Studio M2 Ultra
- Mac Mini M2 Pro
- Lenovo Legion Tower 7i
- Dell XPS Desktop (2023)
- Alienware Aurora R16
Best monitor
- Alienware AW2723DF
- AOC AGON AG275QZ
- Philips 27B1U7903
- Samsung Odyssey Neo G9
- ASUS ProArt Display OLED PA32DC
Best 4K monitor
- ASUS ProArt Display OLED PA32DC
- BenQ SW272U
- HP Z32k G3
- Philips 27B1U7903
- Dell UltraSharp U3223QZ
- Samsung Odyssey Neo G9
- ROG Swift 360Hz PG27AQN
Best workstation
- Mac Mini M2
- Mac Studio M2 Max / Ultra
- ThinkStation P3 Ultra
- HP Z8 Fury G5
Best GPU
- NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080
- NVIDIA RTX 4070
- ASUS TUF Radeon RX 7900 XTX OC
- MSI Gaming Radeon RX 7600 Mech 2X
- ProArt GeForce RTX 4080 16GB
Best Monitor Innovation
- Acer SpatialLabs 3D monitor
- Samsung Odyssey Neo G9
- Corsair Xeneon Flex 45WQHD240
Best Headphones
- Technics EAH-AZ8
- 1More Sonoflow
- Edifier WH950NB
- Nothing Ear (2)
Best tablet
- Wacom Cintiq Pro 27
- iPad Pro M2
- iPad
- iPad Air M2
- Surface Pro 9
- Onyx Boox Tab Ultra C
- Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra
Best mobile phone design
- Xiaomi 13 Pro
- Samsung Galaxy Flip 5
- Google Pixel 7 Pro
- iPhone 14 Pro
- Nothing Phone 2
The CB Awards 2023 nominations: crafting
Craft machine of the year
- xTool P2
- xTool M1
- Glowforge Aura
- Sawgrass SG500 Sublimation
- Siser Romeo
Best cutting machine
- xTool M1
- Siser Juliet
- Siser Romeo
Best Laser Cutter
- Laser Pecker 4
- xTool M1
- xTool P2
- Glowforge Aura
Best Craft Accessory
- Shaper Trace
- Darkboard for iPad
- Siser Craft Heat Press
- We R Memory Keepers PrintMaker
- Daylight Company Slimline 3 Floor Lamp
Best Art Printer
- Epson EcoTank 18100
- Sawgrass SG500 Sublimation
- HP Smart Tank 5105
- Canon SELPHY CP1500 Mini
Awards process
You can find all the details of the awards nominations process at the Creative Bloq Awards website, along with a detailed list of the categories, judges voting process and more.
