OpenWater vs Award Force

OpenWater9.3Visit Award Force7.5Visit

Higher score OpenWater #1 in Application Management Software 9.3/10 Pricing on request ✓ 6 of 6 features Visit OpenWater

vs

Award Force #18 in Application Management Software 7.5/10 Paid ✓ 6 of 6 features Visit Award Force

• OpenWater fits best

  Organizations running complex multi-program applications

• Award Force fits best

  Awards programs with complex judging

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Side by side

Feature	OpenWater 9.3/10 Visit ↗	Award Force 7.5/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.3	7.5
Ranking	#1 in Application Management Software	#18 in Application Management Software
Best for	Organizations running complex multi-program applications	Awards programs with complex judging
Pricing model	Paid	Paid
Starting price	Pricing on request	$3,250/yr
Free plan	Not checked yet	—
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Cloud	Cloud
Platforms	Web	Web
Support	Email, Live chat, Docs, Tickets	Email, Tickets, Phone, Docs
Compliance	SSO/SAML	SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR, HIPAA, PCI DSS, SSO/SAML, 2FA
Integrations	65+ integrations	11 integrations
Built for	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features OpenWater 6/6 · Award Force 6/6
Scoring and rubrics	✓	✓
Reviewer collaboration	✓	✓
Applicant portal	✓	✓
Workflow automation	✓	✓
Reporting and analytics	✓	✓
Payment collection	✓	✓
Specs
Supported programs	Not checked yet	Awards
Our review
Pros	Supports grants, scholarships, awards, fellowships, and abstract management Combines multi-round reviews, scoring, workflows, reporting, and fund tracking Offers REST API access plus CRM, AMS, payment, and directory integrations	Multiple judging modes, panels, assignments and score matrices Conditional entry forms, staged workflows and public voting AI tools, payments, exports and broad integration options
Cons	Pricing requires contacting sales Broad configuration may be more than a single-program team needs AI features are available without further detail on their specific functions	Web-only platform Growth limits annual entries to 10k Premier pricing is based on a custom solution
Our verdict	OpenWater is a web-based application and review management platform for associations, foundations, higher education institutions, and other organizations managing structured programs. It brings application forms, applicant portals,… Read the review →	Award Force is a cloud-based awards management platform for organisations running awards, recognition programs, contests and submission programs. It combines configurable entry forms, entrant access, judge assignments, scoring, voting,… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• OpenWater — where it wins

  • Supports grants, scholarships, awards, fellowships, and abstract management
  • Combines multi-round reviews, scoring, workflows, reporting, and fund tracking
  • Offers REST API access plus CRM, AMS, payment, and directory integrations

  Where it doesn't

  • Pricing requires contacting sales
  • Broad configuration may be more than a single-program team needs
  • AI features are available without further detail on their specific functions

• Award Force — where it wins

  • Multiple judging modes, panels, assignments and score matrices
  • Conditional entry forms, staged workflows and public voting
  • AI tools, payments, exports and broad integration options

  Where it doesn't

  • Web-only platform
  • Growth limits annual entries to 10k
  • Premier pricing is based on a custom solution

• OpenWater9.3/10 · Pricing on request

  A broad platform for managing complex applications, reviews, workflows, funding, and reporting.

  Visit OpenWaterFull verdict →
• Award Force7.5/10 · Paid

  A specialized awards platform with deep judging workflows and clear annual pricing.

  Visit Award ForceFull verdict →