Zealous

Zealous manages submissions, judging and results for awards, competitions and open calls, and its pricing model is the design decision everything else follows from. Charges are based on submissions received rather than on the number of programs run, so an organisation can operate several separate calls without multiplying its cost. For an arts organisation running a prize, a residency call and a members exhibition in the same year, that distinction is the difference between one bill and three.

There is a genuinely free plan at zero per month covering 20 entries, which makes the platform testable with a real programme rather than a demo. Above that, published packages include 75 submissions at GBP 39 per month and 300 submissions at GBP 119 per month, alongside annual packages at GBP 190 and GBP 590. Upgrade and downgrade behaviour is documented in unusual detail: upgrading resets the annual renewal date to the upgrade date, while downgrading keeps the existing package features until the current billing period ends. Publishing that mechanism openly is a reasonable signal of how the vendor handles billing generally.

Included at every level are unlimited file storage, unlimited judges and unlimited categories, plus HD video streaming. Unlimited judges is the significant one, because judging panels expand unpredictably as programs mature and per-judge charging quietly penalises a well-run panel. HD video streaming matters for open calls collecting film, performance or music, where judges must watch rather than read.

Entry fees can be collected with invoicing and refunds handled, with commission of 2.2 percent plus 20p per transaction capped at GBP 2, so the platform's cut on a high-value entry is bounded rather than proportional.

Use cases named are awards, competitions and open calls, with customers including nonprofits, corporations, arts organisations and educational institutions. The vendor claims automated judging boosts submissions by 22 percent. Over 50 guides, templates and best practice resources are published, alongside a two-minute product tour and a separate applicant-facing portfolio product. There are no annual lock-ins.