Best Contest Software: Ranked and Reviewed (2025)

Did you know that online contests have become a powerful tool for businesses and organizations, with an estimated 80% of companies now using contests in their marketing strategies?

Contest software provides a streamlined solution for managing and optimizing online contests, enabling businesses to increase engagement, boost brand awareness, and generate leads. In this article, I will rank and review the top contest software platforms available in 2022, helping you find the best solution for your online contest management needs.

Key Takeaways:

• Online contests are widely adopted by businesses, with approximately 80% of companies using them in their marketing strategies.
• Contest software streamlines the process of running online contests, facilitating increased engagement, brand awareness, and lead generation.
• In this article, we will review and rank the best contest software platforms available in 2022 to help you choose the right solution for your needs.

Submittable

When it comes to finding the perfect contest platform and management tool, Submittable stands out as a versatile and powerful solution. As a contest software, Submittable empowers users to launch, manage, measure, and grow their social impact programs, making it an excellent choice for businesses, nonprofits, and educational institutions alike. With a wide range of features and capabilities, Submittable streamlines the contest management process and enhances participant engagement.

Features Designed for Success

Submittable offers a comprehensive set of contest software features that enable users to collect, organize, evaluate, and track contest submissions with ease. The platform’s intuitive interface allows for seamless contest management, making it simple to create, customize, and distribute contest forms efficiently. With Submittable, you can:

• Collect and organize contest submissions
• Evaluate submissions and track outcomes
• Engage with participants and provide feedback

These features, among many others, ensure a smooth and efficient contest management experience.

Endless Possibilities for Social Impact

Beyond traditional contests, Submittable provides a range of capabilities to drive social impact and foster positive change. Whether you’re hosting employee giving programs, volunteering initiatives, or managing grants, awards, or scholarships, Submittable has you covered. This contest management tool is designed to amplify social impact initiatives and enhance your organization’s ability to make a difference.

“Submittable is a versatile contest platform that caters to the needs of businesses, nonprofits, and educational institutions alike, empowering them to maximize their social impact.”

Furthermore, Submittable offers an array of customizable features, allowing you to tailor the platform to match your organization’s unique needs. This flexibility ensures that Submittable remains a top choice among contest software platforms.

So, if you’re searching for a comprehensive contest platform and management tool, look no further than Submittable. Its capabilities, ease of use, and commitment to social impact make it the ideal solution for launching, managing, and growing your contests successfully.

Award Force

Award Force is an award-winning contest software that serves as an exceptional contest platform and an efficient contest management tool. It is designed to assist awards organizers in seamlessly managing the entire lifecycle of awards entry and judging online. With a focus on delivering a fast, secure, and user-friendly experience, Award Force caters to the needs of entrants, judges, and contest managers.

One of the key advantages of using Award Force is the ability to create and customize contest entry forms effortlessly. The platform provides a wide range of options to tailor your entry forms according to your specific requirements. Whether you need to collect detailed information or simply want to streamline the submission process, Award Force offers the flexibility to meet your needs.

Additionally, Award Force simplifies the judging process by providing intuitive tools to manage and evaluate contest submissions. Judges can easily access and review entries, assign scores, and provide feedback. This comprehensive contest management tool ensures a seamless and efficient judging experience, enhancing overall contest effectiveness.

Effective communication is crucial in any contest, and Award Force recognizes this. The software includes robust features that enable contest managers to communicate with participants effortlessly. Whether it’s sending notifications, providing updates, or answering inquiries, Award Force streamlines the communication process, fostering transparency and participant engagement.

Moreover, Award Force offers numerous benefits that significantly enhance the contest experience. The software improves efficiency by automating various contest management tasks, saving valuable time and resources. It also enhances transparency by providing real-time updates and progress tracking, ensuring fairness and trust in the judging process. Additionally, Award Force presents branding opportunities with customizable branding options, allowing organizers to maintain consistent brand identity throughout the contest.

In summary, Award Force is a powerful contest software that provides a robust contest platform and a comprehensive contest management tool. With its fast, secure, and user-friendly features, Award Force ensures a seamless contest experience for participants, judges, and contest managers. From customizable entry forms to efficient judging management and effective communication tools, Award Force offers numerous benefits that enhance efficiency, transparency, and branding opportunities.

OpenWater

When it comes to contest management, OpenWater is a cloud-based solution that stands out from the crowd. It offers a comprehensive set of tools and features that make online contest management a breeze. From registration to the submission of various types of contests, OpenWater streamlines the entire process, allowing organizations to focus on what matters most – engaging with potential grantees and participants.

One of the key features of OpenWater is its outcomes measurement capability. With this feature, contest organizers can easily track and measure the impact of their contests, enabling them to make data-driven decisions and refine their strategies for future success. The platform also offers customizable forms, allowing contest managers to gather relevant information from participants in a structured and organized manner.

“OpenWater has revolutionized the way we manage our contests. The platform’s intuitive interface and powerful features have streamlined our workflows, saving us both time and resources.”

Automated notifications are another valuable feature of OpenWater. Contest managers can set up automated emails and reminders to keep participants informed and engaged throughout the contest duration. This not only improves the overall participant experience but also enhances the efficiency of contest management.

Integrated judging capabilities are also a highlight of OpenWater. The platform allows for seamless collaboration among judges, with built-in tools for evaluation and scoring. This ensures a fair and transparent judging process, ultimately leading to the selection of deserving winners.

Customization and Flexibility

OpenWater understands that every contest is unique and requires a tailored approach. That’s why the platform offers a high level of customization and flexibility to meet the specific needs of different contest management scenarios. Whether you’re running a small local contest or a large-scale international competition, OpenWater can adapt to your requirements, making it an ideal choice for a diverse range of organizations.

Overall, OpenWater provides a robust contest platform with powerful online contest management features. The platform’s versatility, customization options, and user-friendly interface make it an excellent choice for businesses and organizations looking to create and manage successful contests.

Zealous

Looking for a top-notch contest management tool? Look no further than Zealous. With its innovative features and user-friendly interface, Zealous is a game-changer in the world of contest software. Whether you’re running a sweepstakes, giveaway, or any other type of contest, Zealous has got you covered.

One of the standout benefits of using Zealous is its ability to effortlessly manage submissions. With its intuitive submission management system, you can easily collect and organize contest entries, ensuring a smooth and efficient process.

But that’s not all—Zealous goes above and beyond to help you boost entry volume. The platform provides entry boosting tools that allow you to maximize participation and engagement. From social media integrations to referral programs, Zealous equips you with the tools to attract a larger pool of participants.

And let’s not forget about analytics. Zealous provides comprehensive analytics that give you valuable insights into the performance of your contests. Track key metrics such as entry numbers, engagement levels, and conversion rates to understand what’s working and make data-driven decisions for future contests.

With Zealous, you can create contests that are not only visually appealing but also highly engaging. The platform offers customization options that allow you to tailor the look and feel of your contest to align with your brand. Stand out from the competition and leave a lasting impression on your audience.

Upgrade your contest management experience with Zealous. Streamline your process, boost participation, and achieve better results. Try Zealous today and take your contests to the next level.

Key Features of Zealous:

• Effortless submission management
• Entry-boosting tools for maximum participation
• Comprehensive analytics and data insights
• Customizable contest design to align with your brand

SweepWidget

If you’re looking for the best contest software, look no further than SweepWidget. As a lead generation and contest management solution, SweepWidget simplifies the process of running giveaways and collecting valuable user data. With its user-friendly interface, robust features, and advanced customization options, SweepWidget is the go-to platform for creating successful and engaging contests.

SweepWidget allows businesses to run contests, distribute rewards, collect email addresses, monitor entries, and more, all from one centralized platform. With its comprehensive contest management tools, you can effortlessly launch and manage contests to boost brand awareness, engage your audience, and drive customer loyalty.

One of the standout benefits of SweepWidget is its ability to generate leads. By running contests on this platform, you can collect email addresses, increase your subscriber base, and build valuable relationships with potential customers. The platform’s lead generation capabilities make it an invaluable tool for businesses looking to expand their reach and convert leads into loyal customers.

With SweepWidget, you have complete control over your contests. The platform offers advanced customization options, allowing you to tailor your contests to fit your brand’s unique style and messaging. Whether it’s designing eye-catching entry forms or customizing the look and feel of your contest landing pages, SweepWidget makes it easy to create a contest that aligns with your brand identity.

Key Features of SweepWidget contest software:

• Easy contest setup and management
• Lead generation capabilities to grow your email list
• Wide range of contest types: sweepstakes, giveaways, photo contests, and more
• Comprehensive analytics and reporting to track contest performance
• Advanced customization options for a branded contest experience

With SweepWidget as your contest management tool, you can create and execute successful contests that captivate your audience and deliver tangible results. Whether you’re a small business, a startup, or a large corporation, SweepWidget provides you with the tools you need to run engaging contests and achieve your marketing objectives.

In summary, SweepWidget stands out as the best contest software for its lead generation capabilities, user-friendly interface, robust features, and advanced customization options. By harnessing the power of SweepWidget, you can take your contests to the next level and drive meaningful engagement with your target audience.

Easypromos

Easypromos is an intuitive contest platform that offers a wide range of interactive marketing campaigns to businesses and marketing professionals. With Easypromos, you can easily create engaging promotions, such as games, quizzes, social media giveaways, and photo and video contests, to captivate your target audience. The platform provides customizable templates, powerful lead generation tools, and in-depth analytics to help you maximize the impact of your contests and campaigns.

Whether you’re looking to boost brand awareness, increase audience engagement, or drive traffic to your website or social media pages, Easypromos has the online contest management solutions you need to achieve your goals. From small businesses to large enterprises, Easypromos offers an array of features and functionalities that cater to diverse contest requirements.

Key Features of Easypromos

• Customizable templates for creating visually appealing contests and promotions
• Easy-to-use design tools to customize your contests with your branding elements
• Flexible entry mechanisms, including instant win, sweepstakes, and user-generated content contests
• Robust moderation tools to ensure the quality and appropriateness of user submissions
• Social media integrations to maximize reach and engagement
• Lead generation tools to capture valuable customer data for future marketing efforts
• Detailed analytics and reporting to measure the performance and success of your contests
• Seamless integration with popular email marketing platforms for efficient follow-up and nurturing

With Easypromos, you can harness the power of contests and promotions to engage your audience, drive conversions, and achieve your marketing objectives. Whether you’re a seasoned marketer or just starting out, Easypromos provides the contest software features you need to create, manage, and optimize successful campaigns with ease.

Platform	Key Features
Easypromos	Customizable templates Easy-to-use design tools Flexible entry mechanisms Robust moderation tools Social media integrations Lead generation tools Detailed analytics and reporting Seamless integration with popular email marketing platforms

Wishpond

Wishpond is an all-in-one contest platform and contest management tool that provides a wide range of features and benefits for businesses. With its drag-and-drop landing page editor, you can easily create eye-catching contest pages that engage and captivate your audience. The platform also offers social contests, popups, and forms, enabling you to gather valuable data and generate leads.

One of the key advantages of using Wishpond is its marketing automation capabilities. With email automation, you can easily set up automated email campaigns to nurture and convert contest participants into loyal customers. The lead scoring feature allows you to prioritize your most promising leads and focus your efforts where they matter the most.

Wishpond also offers customizable branding options, ensuring that your contests align with your brand’s identity. This provides a consistent and compelling user experience, reinforcing your brand image and building trust with your audience.

Through Wishpond’s contest platform, you can effortlessly manage your contests, monitor participant engagement, and drive website and email subscriber engagement. With its intuitive interface and comprehensive analytics, you can track the performance of your contests and gain valuable insights to optimize your strategies.

Whether you’re looking to generate leads, increase brand awareness, or boost audience engagement, Wishpond’s contest software benefits can help you achieve your goals. It provides a powerful and user-friendly solution for creating and managing contests that drive results.

VYPER

I am excited to introduce VYPER, a comprehensive contest management tool that offers a range of features and benefits for businesses. With VYPER, you can conduct engaging contests, set up rewarding loyalty programs, and manage exciting giveaways to boost customer engagement and loyalty.

One of the key advantages of VYPER is its pre-designed templates, which allow you to quickly create visually stunning contests without the need for extensive design skills. You can easily customize the branding to match your company’s look and feel, ensuring a consistent brand experience for your customers.

But that’s not all – VYPER also offers a variety of features to enhance your contest management experience. From seamless entry form creation to automated winner selection, the software streamlines the entire process, saving you time and effort. Additionally, you can leverage VYPER’s analytics and reporting capabilities to measure contest performance, track customer engagement, and gain valuable insights to refine your marketing strategies.

With VYPER, you have the power to create and manage contests that captivate your audience and drive meaningful results. Whether you’re looking to increase brand awareness, generate leads, or reward loyal customers, VYPER is here to help you achieve your goals.

Key Features of VYPER:

• Pre-designed templates for visually stunning contests
• Customizable branding options
• Effortless entry form creation
• Automated winner selection
• Analytics and reporting capabilities

Pros	Cons
Easy-to-use pre-designed templates	No free plan available
Customizable branding options	No integration with third-party tools
Streamlined entry form creation	Limited customer support options
Automated winner selection
Advanced analytics and reporting

QZZR

QZZR is an innovative cloud-based quizzing solution that empowers users to create engaging and interactive quizzes. With QZZR, you can drive traffic on social media platforms, capture your audience’s attention, and generate qualified leads. The platform offers a range of features to enhance your online contests and maximize the benefits of contest software.

One of the key advantages of using QZZR is its ability to create custom and self-branded quizzes. This means that you can tailor the quizzes to reflect your brand’s personality and messaging, creating a cohesive and memorable experience for your audience. By presenting targeted offers within the context of the quiz, you can boost conversions and drive engagement.

In addition, QZZR offers social sharing capabilities, allowing participants to easily share their quiz results with their friends and followers. This viral effect can help increase the reach and visibility of your contests, leading to greater brand exposure and audience growth.

Furthermore, QZZR provides lead generation forms that can be seamlessly integrated into your quizzes. This allows you to collect valuable user data, such as email addresses and contact information, which can be used for future marketing campaigns and lead nurturing.

With advanced analytics, QZZR enables you to track the performance of your quizzes and gain insights into participant behavior. You can measure completion rates, assess the effectiveness of your questions and answers, and identify areas for improvement. This data-driven approach helps you optimize your quiz strategy and achieve better results.

Overall, QZZR is a powerful contest platform that offers a range of benefits for online contest management. From customizable quizzes and social sharing to lead generation and advanced analytics, QZZR provides the tools you need to create successful and engaging quizzes that drive traffic, engage your audience, and generate valuable leads.

QZZR Features	Benefits
Custom and self-branded quizzes	Reflect your brand personality and messaging
Targeted offers	Boost conversions and drive engagement
Social sharing	Increase reach and visibility
Lead generation forms	Collect valuable user data for future marketing campaigns
Advanced analytics	Track quiz performance and gain insights for optimization

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QZZR Features	Benefits
Custom and self-branded quizzes	Reflect your brand personality and messaging
Targeted offers	Boost conversions and drive engagement
Social sharing	Increase reach and visibility
Lead generation forms	Collect valuable user data for future marketing campaigns
Advanced analytics	Track quiz performance and gain insights for optimization

–>

ShortStack

ShortStack is an impressive contest platform and contest management tool that offers numerous benefits for businesses and organizations. With its powerful features and customizable templates, ShortStack makes it easy to create engaging sweepstakes, contests, landing pages, and custom sign-up forms.

One of the significant advantages of using ShortStack is its ability to help you engage with your audience effectively. By running contests and interactive promotions, you can capture user attention, drive participation, and collect valuable user-generated content. This not only helps build brand awareness but also creates a sense of community and loyalty among your audience.

ShortStack also excels at driving website traffic and increasing brand visibility. With its user-friendly interface and customizable options, you can design captivating landing pages and sign-up forms that convert visitors into leads. By offering incentives and rewards through contests, ShortStack helps you attract more visitors to your website, boosting your online presence and driving business growth.

Leading Features of ShortStack

• User-friendly contest creation interface
• Customizable templates for sweepstakes, contests, and landing pages
• Intuitive form builder for creating custom sign-up forms
• Analytics and reporting tools to measure the success of your contests
• Advanced options for social sharing and user engagement

By leveraging the power of ShortStack, you can take your contest marketing efforts to the next level. It provides a comprehensive suite of features and benefits to enhance your contest management experience and achieve your marketing objectives effectively.

Spinify

Spinify is a powerful cloud-based employee recognition platform that harnesses the power of gamification to engage and motivate sales teams. While it may not be specifically designed for contest management, Spinify’s innovative features can be utilized to create exciting sales contests and drive performance to new heights.

One of the key features offered by Spinify is the leaderboard functionality. With visually appealing leaderboards, sales reps can track their progress in real-time, fostering friendly competition and encouraging continuous improvement. This gamified approach creates a sense of urgency and motivation, pushing sales teams to achieve their targets and exceed expectations.

In addition to leaderboards, Spinify provides rewards and incentives as a means of recognizing and acknowledging individual and team achievements. By offering attractive incentives such as bonuses, prizes, or even gamified achievements, Spinify keeps sales teams motivated and engaged, ensuring they consistently perform at their best.

Spinify also excels in providing real-time performance feedback. Through personalized and customizable notifications, sales reps receive instant updates on their progress, enabling them to identify areas where improvement is needed and take immediate action to course-correct. This timely feedback allows for continuous learning and growth, leading to increased productivity and better sales outcomes.

Overall, Spinify offers a unique approach to employee recognition through the use of gamification. By creating a fun and engaging sales environment, Spinify drives motivation, boosts performance, and ultimately delivers tangible results. Although primarily focused on employee recognition, Spinify’s features can be effectively leveraged to create and manage sales contests, making it a valuable asset for organizations looking to enhance their sales performance.

Contest Platform	Online Contest Management	Contest Software Benefits
Spinify	Gamify sales contests	Achieve higher sales performance through engagement and motivation

SalesScreen

SalesScreen is a cloud-based sales performance management solution that helps businesses improve employee focus, motivation, and productivity. While not specifically focused on contest management, SalesScreen offers a recognition module that allows managers to reward and motivate sales teams. The platform provides features such as leaderboards, gamification elements, and performance tracking to drive sales performance.

With SalesScreen’s contest management tool, businesses can create friendly competition among their sales teams, boosting motivation and driving better results. The software allows managers to set up contests, track performance, and provide real-time feedback to their team members. By leveraging gamification elements like leaderboards and rewards, SalesScreen encourages healthy competition and fosters a positive sales culture.

Some of the key benefits of using SalesScreen as a contest software include:

• Increased motivation: SalesScreen’s gamification features create friendly competition, motivating sales teams to perform better and achieve their targets.
• Enhanced focus: The platform’s performance tracking capabilities help sales professionals concentrate on their goals and stay focused on achieving them.
• Improved productivity: With SalesScreen, sales teams can visually track their progress and performance, driving increased productivity levels.

In conclusion, while SalesScreen may not be solely focused on contest management, its recognition module and gamification features make it a top contest software option for businesses looking to improve their sales team’s performance and drive better results. By harnessing the power of friendly competition, leaderboards, and rewards, SalesScreen helps businesses create a motivating sales environment and boost overall productivity.

Conclusion

In conclusion, when it comes to contest software, there is no shortage of options to choose from. Each platform offers a variety of unique features and benefits, allowing users to tailor their contest experiences to their specific needs. Whether you’re searching for a comprehensive contest management tool or a platform to boost employee motivation, there is a contest software solution available to meet your objectives.

By considering your specific requirements and goals, you can select the best contest software that aligns with your business objectives. Take into account factors such as ease of use, customization capabilities, and the ability to engage and captivate your audience. With the right contest software at your disposal, you can create and manage successful and engaging contests that drive brand awareness, generate leads, and elevate your business.

So, whether you’re a marketing professional looking to run sweepstakes and giveaways, an awards organizer wanting to streamline the entry and judging process, or a sales manager seeking to motivate your team, there is a top contest software solution waiting for you. Explore the platforms mentioned in this article, compare their features, and make an informed decision. Elevate your contest management strategy today with the best contest software.

FAQ

What is contest software?

Contest software is a powerful tool for businesses and organizations to create, manage, and optimize online contests. It helps streamline the process of running sweepstakes, giveaways, and other types of contests, leading to increased engagement, brand awareness, and lead generation.

What are the benefits of using contest software?

Contest software offers numerous benefits, including increased efficiency, improved transparency, enhanced branding opportunities, and the ability to collect valuable user data. It simplifies the contest management process and enables businesses to engage with their audience more effectively.

What features does contest software offer?

Contest software offers a wide range of features, including customizable entry forms, automated notifications, integrated judging capabilities, lead generation tools, analytics and reporting, social sharing options, and customizable branding. These features help businesses create engaging contests and optimize their performance.

Which is the best contest software platform?

The best contest software platform depends on your specific needs and goals. Some popular options include Submittable, Award Force, OpenWater, Zealous, SweepWidget, Easypromos, Wishpond, VYPER, QZZR, ShortStack, Spinify, and SalesScreen. Each platform offers unique features and benefits to cater to different contest management scenarios.

Can contest software be used for employee recognition and motivation?

While not specifically designed for contest management, some software platforms, such as Spinify and SalesScreen, offer gamification features that can be leveraged to create sales contests and drive employee performance. These platforms provide leaderboards, rewards, and real-time feedback to enhance employee motivation and productivity.

Source Links

• https://www.softwareadvice.com/contest/
• https://www.goodfirms.co/contest-software/
• https://www.saasworthy.com/list/contest-software