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Zealous
Battersea, London, United Kingdom
What it is
Zealous is a web platform for managing submissions to open calls, awards, and competitions. Organizers can run grants, residencies, fairs, and commissions, set scoring criteria, use anonymous judging, manage evaluation rounds, and track judges' progress in real time. Entrants can submit images, video, 3D models, audio, documents, and embedded media, with individual files up to 4GB. Stripe processes paid entry fees directly to organizers; Zealous charges commission on paid submissions and none on free submissions. The Free plan allows 20 entries in one program at no charge and does not require a credit card. Paid submission allowances are counted across the year and reset on the subscription anniversary. The feature comparison lists embedded content from Vimeo, YouTube, SoundCloud, Spotify, Sketchfab, and Slideshare; Scale includes Zapier and webhooks. Zealous says data is stored on Google Cloud in the UK with an EU twin data center, describes encryption at rest and TLS 1.2 encryption in transit, and reports 99.98% uptime. All plans include unlimited support, with live chat during UK business hours. The service was founded in 2011 and is headquartered in Battersea, London.
For and against
For
- Free plan covers 20 entries and one program.
- Supports anonymous judging and multiple evaluation rounds.
- Accepts media submissions up to 4GB per file.
- All plans include unlimited support.
- Paid entries are processed through Stripe.
Against
- Free plan is limited to 20 entries.
- Starter is limited to 300 submissions.
- Paid submissions incur commission, capped at £2.
The verdict
Zealous covers intake, judging, and progress tracking for a range of submission programs, with a free option for a small call. Check yearly submission allowances and commission terms if you plan to charge entrants.
Who it suits
Zealous suits organizations running submission programs, including foundations, corporations, agencies, and creative-sector groups. It offers tools for organizers who need anonymous review, multiple evaluation rounds, or paid entries.
Plans and prices
Free
20 submissions · 1 program
Read 29 Sep 2026 · zealous.co
Enterprise
Larger annual submission numbers · Application uptime SLA · Procurement support · Non-standard contract terms
Read 29 Sep 2026 · zealous.co
Pro
Up to 10,000 submissions · Unlimited scoring rounds · Multiple-criteria scoring · Public voting
Read 29 Sep 2026 · zealous.co
Scale
Up to 10,000 submissions · Custom automated emails · Zapier integration · Webhooks
Read 29 Sep 2026 · zealous.co
Starter
Up to 300 submissions · 1 scoring round · 2.2% + 20p commission on entry fees, capped at £2
Read 29 Sep 2026 · zealous.co
On the record
- Audience
- The company says Zealous serves organizations across industries, including foundations, corporations, and agencies, while supporting creative-sector programs.zealous.co · read 29 Sep 2026
- Backups and uptime
- Zealous says core data is backed up multiple times daily in separate locations and reports 99.98% uptime.zealous.co · read 29 Sep 2026
- Compliance
- The security page states Zealous is GDPR compliant and that it has signed EU Standard Contractual Clauses with US data-processing suppliers.zealous.co · read 29 Sep 2026
- Free use
- The Free plan includes 20 entries at no charge and requires no credit card.zealous.co · read 29 Sep 2026
- Integrations
- The Scale plan includes Zapier and webhooks; the feature comparison also lists Stripe payments and embedded content from services including Vimeo, YouTube, SoundCloud, Spotify, Sketchfab, and Slideshare.zealous.co · read 29 Sep 2026
- Media submissions
- Entrants can submit images, video, 3D models, audio, documents, and embedded media; individual files can be up to 4GB.zealous.co · read 29 Sep 2026
- Payments
- Entry payments are processed through Stripe and go directly to the organizer’s account; Zealous charges commission on paid submissions and none on free submissions.zealous.co · read 29 Sep 2026
- Pricing limits
- Paid plan submission allowances are counted across the year and reset on the subscription anniversary; the pricing page lists up to 300 submissions for Starter and up to 10,000 for Pro and Scale.zealous.co · read 29 Sep 2026
- Product
- Zealous is a visual submissions management platform for running open calls, awards, and competitions.zealous.co · read 29 Sep 2026
- Programs
- The platform supports awards, grants, open calls, residencies, fairs, and commissions.zealous.co · read 29 Sep 2026
- Review workflow
- Organizers can define scoring criteria, use anonymous judging, manage multiple evaluation rounds, and track judge progress in real time.zealous.co · read 29 Sep 2026
- Security
- Zealous says data is stored on Google Cloud in the UK with an EU twin data center and describes encryption at rest and TLS 1.2 encryption in transit.zealous.co · read 29 Sep 2026
- Support
- All plans include unlimited support; live chat is available during UK business hours, and Enterprise plans can include a dedicated account manager.zealous.co · read 29 Sep 2026
