Amazon has unveiled a new developer program designed to help apps and games get spotted by consumers in its ever-crowded Appstore for Android.

Launching just ahead of the Christmas rush, AppStore Developer Select will aid both native and HTML5-based web apps with 500,000 free mobile ad impressions across Amazon's Mobile Ad Network.

Qualifying releases will also offer players up to 30 percent of the purchase price of in-app items back in Amazon Coins in a bid to increase engagement and retention.

Also part of the deal is 25 percent credit back on qualifying purchases of Amazon Web Services products, ranging up to a maximum of $500 in credit a year.

Christmas spirit

"With the growing number of mobile apps and games in the market, getting noticed has become a high priority for developers," detailed Amazon's David Isbitski on the firm's blog.

"The weeks leading up to the holidays tend to be the busiest time of year for app downloads and purchases, and during Digital Week, the week after Christmas, more apps are sold than any other week during the year.

"Make sure your apps meet the program requirements now so that your app is more discoverable when consumers have all those new devices in their hands."

Indeed, for apps looking to qualify, there are some hoops to jump through.

Apps, both native and HTML5, must be compatible with Amazon's entire range of Kindle Fire devices and, as of January, its forthcoming new additions to the line.

They must also render natively in high definition without stretching or distortion, and – perhaps most crucially – titles must exclusively use Amazon's in-app purchasing API, mobile ads API and achievements platform GameCircle.

More info can be found on Amazon's developer website.