Tsveta van Son
August 27, 2026
Read time:
min
TL;DR: there's no single best awards management software; the right pick depends on your budget, your program type, and whether you need grants features or awards features. All tools listed here can run an awards program. That said, Evalato is designed specifically for awards and includes six voting types, score normalization, and unlimited free testing. Award Force and AwardStage are the closest awards-focused alternatives, while Submittable, SurveyMonkey Apply, and SmarterSelect lean toward grants and scholarships. The full list also covers OpenWater, Judgify, Reviewr, and Submit.com. Pricing below is current as of June 2026.
Looking for the best awards management software in 2026? We compared dozens of platforms and selected the top 10 potentially worth your time. Plus, we've prepared some extremely useful tips on what to look for when choosing your awards management platform. Have a look!
Maybe you’ve seen your competitor use an awards management system and want to check what it can do for you. Or you just want to find one for your awards since organizing them takes too much of your time. Either way, you might not be fully aware of WHAT and WHY you should be looking for. Let’s start with possibly the simplest explanation you’ll find online.
Awards management software is a cloud-based platform that helps you run your awards faster and more simply. You create and manage your whole program online: collect and handle entries, set and monitor judging, and announce results.
Here’s the process visualized:
That's the point of any software, but the time good awards software saves is real. With Evalato, for example, customers save 70–80% of staff time on average.
"Using Evalato has saved a considerable amount of staff time [70% staff time saved], which has greatly increased our ability to provide better quality and more frequent awards programs." Garrett Mickley, AIBD Communications Director. Read the case study.
You automate tedious tasks, manage applications, judging, and results from a single dashboard, and stop juggling spreadsheets and inboxes.
You want a tool that doesn't take days to configure. If you're new to this kind of software, look for pre-built templates so you're not starting from a blank page.
The best awards management software has the function of automating your communication with applicants and judges. That's a huge time saver and reduces the risk of miscommunication immensely. The other important thing is that the system calculates the evaluation results for you, so it eliminates the element of human error.
An awards management platform further removes the lengthy and tiring administrative processes so that you can focus on growth. Second, top solutions include analytic tools where you can measure results and act accordingly. They also have integrations with Google Analytics, HubSpot, Zapier, or other tools so that you can collect data, track conversions, and streamline all your processes. Some even offer sales tools to boost the number of entries and payments you receive.
Happy participants are what make an awards program work, and a good platform makes their experience easy.
Style and colors for your page and forms, plus currency, language, and program URL.
Most tools let you build an awards webpage. A few, like Evalato, also let you embed the registration form straight into your own site, which is better for brand, SEO, and an uninterrupted applicant experience.
Each should have their own space, ideally with save-and-resume so work isn't lost.
An awards management system allows you to handle all applicant communication easily, including confirmation emails, application status updates, deadline reminders, judge invitations, and so on.
Obviously, that’s a key feature for any awards management system. The most popular voting types are score, popularity, simple review, points, positional voting, as well as the option for a single transferable vote. Public voting is a must if you want to boost your awards visibility. Don't settle for a platform that offers anything less.
Make sure the platform reports on your numbers and integrates with Google Analytics or your other tools, so you can make data-based decisions.
Evalato is one of the leading awards management solutions on the market, built for customization, ease of use, and flexibility. It runs your whole program, from entry collection through judging to the winner announcement, and it's designed to help programs grow. Where most tools stop at an awards webpage, Evalato also gives you an embeddable registration form for your own site, plus sales tools to lift your entry numbers. And you can test everything before you pay: sign up and build a full program, no time limit, no card.
Pros: unlimited free testing; strong UX; embeddable registration form and flexible sales tools; six voting types with score normalization; unlimited judges, rounds, forms, and admins on every plan; pre-configured templates; 24/7 support on every plan
Cons: Doesn't have a free plan
Price: per program, valid 12 months
Built for grants and scholarships, SurveyMonkey (which acquired FluidReview years ago) carries a lot of grant-focused features and offers free implementation. It fits grantmakers well. For awards, a few gaps show: there's no free trial, no single transferable vote, and 24/7 support isn't on every plan.
Pros: Free implementation services;
Cons: No free trial; no ranked (STV) voting; no 24/7 support on every plan.
Price: Quote only; all tiers are "contact for pricing."
Source: SurveyMonkey Apply official website, June 2026. The platform no longer lists public prices.
Judgify has been around a while and is the only tool here with a free plan, though that plan is tight on features and volume. It covers the basics of awards and contests, but complex programs hit limits fast: no score normalization, no STV voting, and no embeddable registration form.
Pros: Free plan available
Cons: Limited features on the free and paid tiers; no score normalization; no embeddable registration form.
Price: per individual event, except Pro Unlimited, which is a yearly subscription for unlimited events
Last pricing data update: June 2026; source: Judgify official website
OpenWater is one of the older awards platforms on the market. It suits large organizations and also runs a virtual conference product. It doesn't have small-budget pricing and there's no free trial. For awards specifically, it skips unlimited file uploads and STV voting, though it does offer ticket sales and a Salesforce integration.
Pros: Built for large programs; ticket sales; Salesforce integration.
Cons: No free trial; no unlimited file upload; no STV voting; pricing runs high for smaller programs
Price: from USD 5,100/year.
Source: Evalato vs OpenWater comparison, June 2026
Submittable is one of the more popular awards management software, with a focus on impact, CSR, grants, and scholarships. It offers ticket sales and a Salesforce integration. Pricing is quote-only. For awards, it doesn't include unlimited forms, all-currency payments, STV voting, or 24/7 support on every plan.
Pros: Strong for grant, CSR, and scholarship programs; Submittable adds ticket sales; offers a Salesforce integration.
Cons: Quote-only pricing; no free trial; no STV voting; Submittable limits 24/7 support to higher plans.
Price: Submittable offers three plans but the price is available by quote only.
*Last pricing data update: June 2026; source: Submittable official website
Award Force is a well-known awards platform. There's no free trial, so to see it, you request a recorded demo or book a call. It handles core awards work but skips a few things that matter for awards: score normalization, an embeddable registration form, custom email, and 24/7 support on every plan.
Pros: Gallery-view feature; Salesforce integration;
Cons: No free trial; no score normalization; no embeddable registration form.
Price: tiered, billed annually.
Source: Award Force official website, June 2026. See how Evalato and Award Force compare.
AwardStage is built for awards programmes, with a custom awards website, public voting, and multi-criteria scoring, and every plan includes onboarding. If you're running a ceremony, it offers event ticketing as a paid add-on on any tier. There's no free trial, so you'd book a demo to see it. For awards, it doesn't offer single transferable vote, and support isn't 24/7.
Pros: Custom awards website; public voting and multi-criteria scoring; onboarding included on every plan; optional ticketing add-on.
Cons: No free trial; ticketing costs extra (and webhooks are an add-on on the Standard tier); no STV voting
Price: per awards programme, per year; all fees include onboarding.
Source: AwardStage official website, June 2026.
Reviewr is a review platform used for grants, scholarships, fellowships, and similar submission-based programs, with plenty of demos and explainer videos to get you started. Pricing is quote-only. For awards, it skips unlimited file upload and STV voting, and 24/7 support isn't on every plan.
Pros: Data import option; Salesforce integration;
Cons: Quote-only pricing; no free plan; no STV voting;
Price: Custom quote only.
*Last pricing data update — June 2026; source: Reviewr official website
Submit.com is a submission management platform that's been around a while, with an API for teams that want to build on it. Free testing is not available, so you need to schedule a demo to see how the product works.
Pros: API access
Cons: No free trial; no all-currency payments; no STV voting.
Price: billed annually.
Source: Submit.com official website, June 2026.
SmarterSelect is an applications management platform for scholarships, grants, and awards, with score voting and custom criteria and enough tooling to run an evaluation and pick winners. For awards, it lacks unlimited free testing, unlimited forms and fields, unlimited file upload, and STV voting.
Pros: Score voting with custom criteria; Salesforce integration
Cons: No free trial; no unlimited forms and fields; no STV voting; 24/7 support isn't on every plan.
Price:Billed annually.
Source: SmarterSelect official website, June 2026.
Yes, we’re kind of biased here, you are reading this on our website after all, but we feel that our reasons are quite sound. Evalato is pretty much one of the easiest awards software to use while still offering a robust set of features. It is also super flexible for organizations of any type and size. Our customers say it best:
The platform has received lots of accolades for being a top awards management solution. Here are the latest ones:
And if these reasons are not enough for you, you’re welcome to try Evalato for free — our test mode allows you to see how everything works before making a decision.
Want the full picture? See how Evalato compares to the other awards management platforms, feature by feature.
Launch your next awards program in Evalato in record time.
Or book a free personalized demo to see how it works.
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