Zealous

Zealous is a web-based platform for collecting submissions and managing evaluation for awards, open calls and other programs. It is best suited to organizers reviewing creative work or running structured judging; its broad workflow is balanced by annual submission caps and commission on paid entries.

Overview

Founded in 2011 and based in Battersea, London, Zealous supports awards, grants, open calls, residencies, fairs and commissions. Its reach across foundations, corporations and agencies makes it relevant beyond creative-sector programs, though its visual-submission capabilities are a particular strength for those handling varied work.

Organizers can set scoring criteria, run anonymous judging, manage evaluation rounds and follow judge progress in real time. That combination helps when a program needs a coordinated panel process; for a basic application form with little evaluation, it may be more workflow than necessary.

Key features

Submissions and media

Entrants can provide images, video, 3D models, audio, documents and embedded media, including content from Vimeo, YouTube, SoundCloud, Spotify, Sketchfab and Slideshare. Individual files can be up to 4GB, a useful allowance for substantial creative work. Free supports one program and 20 submissions; Starter raises the allowance to 300, while Pro and Scale each allow up to 10,000 submissions per year. Paid allowances reset on the subscription anniversary, so organizers need to plan around an annual quota rather than a monthly one.

Judging and payments

Anonymous judging, scoring criteria and progress tracking provide structure for evaluators. Starter includes one scoring round; Pro adds unlimited rounds, multiple-criteria scoring and public voting. Entry fees run through Stripe directly to the organizer’s account, but Zealous charges 2.2% + 20p per paid entry on Starter, Pro and Scale, capped at £2. Free submissions carry no commission. The fee can matter for high-volume paid programs even though the cap limits the charge on each entry.

Security and support

Zealous says it stores data on Google Cloud in the UK with an EU twin data center, encrypts stored data and uses TLS 1.2 in transit. It states that it is GDPR compliant and has signed EU Standard Contractual Clauses with US data-processing suppliers. The company reports multiple daily backups in separate locations and 99.98% uptime. All plans include unlimited support, with live chat during UK business hours; Enterprise can include a dedicated account manager.

Pricing

The Free plan costs nothing and includes one program and 20 submissions, with no credit card required. It is a practical way to run a small call, but its entry ceiling makes it unsuitable for larger programs.

Starter has custom pricing, billed monthly, with annual billing offered at a 33% discount. It allows up to 300 submissions, one scoring round and the standard paid-entry commission. This suits a smaller program with a straightforward judging process, but not organizers needing multiple rounds.

Pro also has custom pricing, billed monthly or annually at a 33% discount. It raises the quota to 10,000 and includes unlimited scoring rounds, multiple-criteria scoring, public voting and one-hour onboarding. It fits larger or more involved judging panels, though the commission still applies.

Scale has custom pricing on the same monthly or discounted annual terms, with up to 10,000 submissions. It adds custom automated emails, Zapier integration and webhooks, making it the stronger fit for teams connecting intake to other workflows. Enterprise uses custom pricing for a bespoke package, including larger annual submission numbers, an application uptime SLA, procurement support, non-standard contract terms and a dedicated account manager; it removes commission on entry fees.

Platforms

Zealous is available on the web.

Who it's for

Zealous is a good match for organizations running application or entry programs that need to collect rich media and coordinate judging. Small organizers can start with its free single-program plan; those with larger quotas or more complex evaluation can move to Pro or Scale. Teams focused on a simple event registration process, or programs whose entry volume exceeds paid caps without Enterprise terms, should consider other tools.

Pros and cons

• Pros: Broad media support, including files up to 4GB, suits creative submissions that exceed ordinary document-only applications.
• Pros: Anonymous judging, round management and live progress tracking give organizers visibility over a structured evaluation process.
• Pros: A no-credit-card Free plan supports one program and 20 entries, allowing a small call to run without a subscription.
• Cons: Paid submission allowances are annual and capped at 300 on Starter or 10,000 on Pro and Scale, which can constrain high-volume programs.
• Cons: Starter, Pro and Scale charge commission on paid submissions, so entry fees are not commission-free outside Enterprise.
• Cons: Starter is limited to one scoring round, making it a poor fit for multi-stage evaluation.

Alternatives

For a broader comparison, browse Awards Management Software. Accolade and Judgify are web-based options with free plans if you want to compare other freemium tools. Choose AwardKit if unlimited programs, entries, judges, audience voters and team members, zero entry commission and no per-seat fees matter more than Zealous’s tiered workflow; its listed plan is $1,995 a year, billed annually.

OpenWater Grant Management is another option for grant management, with custom subscription pricing based on usage and Android as well as web support. Evessio is worth comparing if branded event content and themes are the priority; its Starter plan applies a logo and brand colours to existing themes without CSS or JavaScript customisation. Eventsforce may suit event organizers needing websites, registration forms, ticketing, Stripe payments and a check-in app. Awards Flow offers a paid Starter plan with 5 categories, 6 awards, 500 applications, 600 users, 20 judges and 5 MB file uploads. BAFTA Nucleus is another paid web-based alternative.

Verdict

Choose Zealous if your organization needs to collect substantial creative submissions and run a defined judging process in one web platform. Its combination of file capacity, anonymous review and judge-progress tracking is the case for it. Look elsewhere if you need more than 10,000 submissions without Enterprise arrangements, want to avoid commission on paid entries, or only need a simpler registration workflow.