If you are already using Evalato, you are likely well acquainted with what is one of the jewels in the crown of our awards management software — the next-generation Applicant portal. And if you’re not yet using Evalato, the application forms and fields update is another reason to do so. So, let’s take an in-depth look at the Applicant portal and how it benefits awards organizers and applicants alike. 

Full control for awards organizers  

Evalato’s Applicant portal is where you can communicate to your applicants your program’s requirements by means of: 

• The application form — it is up to you to decide what information you require from your program’s applicants, with Evalato giving you the power to request anything from simple text to images and video uploads, along with everything in between; 
• Instructions — be it criteria, terms and conditions, or something else altogether, you can make any relevant information visible and easily accessible on the portal;  
• Option for payment — while requesting payment at registration is a surefire way to lift submission rates, should you opt to ask for payment at or after submission, Evalato’s Applicant portal has you covered. 
• Option to enable applicants to add entries or change categories — it’s up to you to decide whether to give your program’s applicants that extra freedom to add new entries (and pay for them, if needed) or change the category of an entry if they have made a mistake or reconsidered. 

In a nutshell, Evalato’s Applicant portal gives you the power to provide a framework for the entries for your program to match its purpose and criteria, and get all the information needed for the evaluation stage.    

Every applicant’s best friend  

And while the Applicant portal is just one part of the equation for awards organizers, it’s arguably the most important Evalato feature for applicants — their own space where they can craft their submissions, complete with: 

• Handy login details — in addition to being able to access the portal right as they complete the registration process through the Evalato submission management software, applicants also get an email with login details they can use any time they want to work on their entries;  
• Option to save as draft — while awards and other programs have deadlines, Evalato’s Applicant portal takes some of the pressure off by providing applicants the option to save as draft without submitting. This gives them the option to spend more time on their entries, craft them to perfection, and submit only when ready;  
• Copying data across applications — in the case of multiple categories and entries, applicants have the option to use data from another entry with the same application form fields to pre-fill the corresponding fields on the entry they are currently working on;
• Ease of keeping track of entries — the portal features a handy list of all of the applicant’s entries, along with helpful color-coding (orange for pending submission, blue for submitted, green for approved, and red for rejected), making it super easy to keep track of every entry’s status. 

To sum up, Evalato’s Applicant portal makes it incredibly easy to work on entries, meaning that applicants can focus on the content they submit as requested by the program organizer, maximizing their chances of winning.  

The results 

The Applicant portal is the main reason why the Evalato awards management system boasts a 99% applicant satisfaction rate. It further boosts the image of your program, making it seem more professional and trustworthy.  

Our customers also appreciate the portal’s ease of use which translates into happier applicants and better submission rates: 

“Our clients love the online system and keep coming back.” Rob Clarke, Head of LearnX®

“Applicants were able to submit several entries at the same time because the entry submitting process was simple and did not take much time. Everything was very clear and easy.” Maria Kirilova, Founder and CEO of Amber Prize

We increased the entries into the Awards this year by almost 100% and it's also helped us as part of our drive to professionalize the awards and make them seem higher value.” Harry Shackleton, Commercial Director at Trade Association Forum

The portal awaits

While Evalato’s Applicant portal is admittedly one of the software’s most appealing features, you don’t have to just take our word for it. See how easy it is to set up your application process (and your whole program, for that matter) with a free Evalato account, or book a demo to have all your questions answered.