OpenWater Awards Reviews in June 2025: User Ratings, Pros & Cons

Robust submission software

What do you like best? OpenWater has a lot of customizable features that allow our company to sun up to twenty programs a year and keep track of all finances and submissions. What do you dislike? I wish there were more webpage customization options. Recommendations to others considering the product: This is a very robust system that allows you to customize the submission process and allows for easy export either via API or by downloading the submitted data. It streamlines the ...

Very Pleased

What do you like best? The support team is excellent! We administer two award programs a year, so between programs I'll forget some things, support is always quick to bail me out. Lots of features that make this software very flexible, allowing us to really get a good idea of the attributes of the applicant that we are looking for. The "automated" reference check feature eliminates any "suspect" submissions. What do you dislike? Not too much to dislike. Lots of functionality and ...

Unique platform that meets our event planning and judging needs

What do you like best? I love that OpenWater incorporates student registration, scheduling, and real-time judging all into one system. I searched for several months for the right system for our institution and this is the only one of its kind that I found. I also like that it is user-friendly enough that I can customize it on my own to meet our needs. Above all, the customer service is OUTSTANDING! They are always available to answer any questions. What do you dislike? There are a ...

Pretty good

What do you like best? the ability to send out mass mail to participants based on triggers within the platform. What do you dislike? The user interface isn't particularly intuitive. The platform could be more user friendly from the administrative prospective. What problems are you solving with the product? What benefits have you realized? Email applicants is substantially easier.

A game-changer for awards management

What do you like best? OpenWater allowed us to shift from a very messy awards management process requiring multiple platforms and lots of clerical work to a simple, streamlined system. Since implementing OW as our awards management solution, we've been able to build robust new awards programs, shift our Board application process onto the platform, and redesign our annual Chapter Activity Reporting process (which directly feeds into our recognition/awards program for chapters). I also ...

Managed 20+ awards systems in OpenWater, loved it

What do you like best? I loved how easy it was to copy repeating programs from year to year and simply update necessary settings. The reporting features were nice and helpful. I also liked the adaptability of the tool to use it for things other than awards submissions. What do you dislike? UI was a bit of a learning curve, but once you're in there day-to-day, it's a breeze. Documentation was helpful though. Recommendations to others considering the product: Consider it for easy ...

Amazing Customer Service

What do you like best? Flexibility when setting up forms and email contact automation features. What do you dislike? Some things are not intuitive. Cannot apply bulk commands in every view. Recommendations to others considering the product: Price points are more inclusive than other similar products. Not forced into a higher price point to get one or two features offered there. What problems are you solving with the product? What benefits have you realized? The account rep ...

Best multi-function association software in the market

What do you like best? The best thing about OpenWater is that it is easy to setup, easy to use, and you can use it for everything from awards management, governance, event registration, call for presentations... everything! What do you dislike? The scoring process for our awards program is very unconventional - so we've had to set up a few work-arounds to make it work in OpenWater. No other system can be adapted to our process either, so this is not an issue for me. Recommendations ...

Amazing Customer Service

What do you like best? Flexibility when setting up forms and email contact automation features. What do you dislike? Some things are not intuitive. Cannot apply bulk commands in every view. Recommendations to others considering the product: Price points are more inclusive than other similar products. Not forced into a higher price point to get one or two features offered there. What problems are you solving with the product? What benefits have you realized? The account rep assigned to ...

Great product

What do you like best? The best aspect of OpenWater is definitely the customer service. There are people who are always on hand to answer any question or issue you might have. In addition, OpenWater is very intuitive and easy to use. What do you dislike? If you have very specific criteria you are trying to fulfill, it could be tricky trying to set up OpenWater. What problems are you solving with the product? What benefits have you realized? We are using OpenWater to receive applications ...