# Page 3 | OpenWater Reviews 2026. Verified Reviews, Pros & Cons | Capterra > Page 3 - Is OpenWater the right Scholarship Management solution for you? Explore 73 verified user reviews from people in industries like yours to make a confident choice. Source: https://www.capterra.com/p/140294/OpenWater-Awards/reviews --- OpenWater 4.6 (73) Provider data verified by our Software Research team, and reviews moderated by our Reviews Verification team. [Learn more](https://www.capterra.com/our-story/) * * * Last updated March 6th, 2026 # Page 3 - Reviews of OpenWater ## Showing most helpful reviews Showing 51-73 of 73 Reviews Sort by: Most Helpful Rating Company Size Reviewer's Role Length of Use Frequency of Use SS Shanita S. Director, Membership & Public Relations Non-Profit Organization Management Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Makes our members happy!" September 27, 2019 4.0 OpenWater has been very pleasing for membership. It solved several of our issues: 1. We needed a software that would tie into our database. 2. We wanted to be able to perform membership renewals with pre-filled data so that our members would not have to redo much if anything. 3. Allow members to stop and start without losing data. 4. Allow new data that was entered to flow back into our database. We can now do all of this at a great rate and without a ton of hassle. I love that integration was not a long drawn out process either. The team at OpenWater worked well with our integration team and got us up and running in no time. It was helpful to have a couple of our programs created by OpenWater and then handed over to us after training as well. Pros I like that we CAN integrate this software into our database and have our users log in using their credentials used in our site and have some fields pre-populated. Cons The multiple ways to access the emails and the judging settings. It would be easier to have a main area on the dashboard of the admin panel and be able to tie the information to a program. Would like to eliminate the number of places to remember to go set up. It also does not tie into our database to update a status as paid. Reason for choosing OpenWater We received the recommendation from ATS. I trust them when it comes to knowing the best system to work in. Switched from [RightSignature](https://www.capterra.com/p/220507/RightSignature/) We had too many complaints from members and the emails from their system kept going to spam. Review Source MS Matt S. Manager, IT Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Amazing customer service, tons of features, steep learning curve" December 14, 2017 5.0 Incredibly customizable form creation and so much more. Pros The Open Water platform is one of the most robust and full-featured systems we've come across. It's extremely detailed and customizable, with the ability to adapt various templates to suit needs as simple or complex as you desire. Some of our favorite features include the external and internal linking within forms, program duplication, easy to create conditional child forms, and the autoscoring feature. However the best "feature" of Open Water is their customer service team. They are, hands down, the best CS team I have worked with out of hundreds of vendors in various industries. They are fast, polite, and know their product down to the smallest details. Cons After managing the Open Water platform as the primary admin over the course of nearly two years, I have no serious complaints. The platform has a steep learning curve and we have found it somewhat hard to retain configuration knowledge since the system makes it so easy to duplicate past programs, so we rarely start a new one from scratch. When we do we sometimes need to reach out to the OW team for a refresh, which they are always happy to help with. Review Source MG Melissa G. Membership & Marketing Manager Education Management Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Best abstract collection and speaker management solution " March 15, 2019 5.0 We needed an abstract management program that integrated with a very challenging database to collect abstracts (from new and pre-existing users), process payments, assign abstracts to reviewers, develop a schedule/program and publish an app. Other programs we've used has issues where users would have issues signing in/signing up, data wouldn't flow correctly between steps and automatic steps (like building a program or assigning an abstract) became administrative burdens. OpenWater has hands down the best customer service we've experienced with any vendor to-date and helped us create a program that resolves these issues on the front end and manages the programs with ease throughout the event. Pros \- It integrates well with our CRM but still flexible for users to find/create/consolidate when needed - Clear workflow for admins to manage programs, including dates, forms, reports, rules, communications - Awesome customer service. Seriously. - All "programs" can function together (other abstract management software programs have issues flowing data between functions or are managed by service reps who never cross over) - Staff works hard to understand our needs and keep us on track Cons \- App still in development, but scheduled for beta release in 2019 Review Source JS Jennifer S. Project Manager Non-Profit Organization Management Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Best decision to use OpenWater!" October 3, 2016 5.0 More than seven years ago, my company made the decision to improve our awards process, which was still being managed by volunteers with paper form collection. Kunal and his staff at OpenWater took our ideas, worked us through improvements and provided top notch support through the entire conversion. Since then, the support has continued to be highly responsive, and capabilities have been added that have allowed us to make further improvements. The system continues to be easy to use for both our applicants, judges and staff. Because of this, we have managed to save valuable staff time and resources, maintain participation in a declining workforce, and obtain judges that will return year after year. Additionally, we are able to maintain an archive of all past applicants and winners - a function that was never possible without time-consuming staff management. I highly recommend this software, as well as the customer support and service provided by OpenWater. Pros Ease of programming, ability to change and update at any time. Functions such as cloning, email notifications, and form management. Cons There are many capabilities that we do not utilize. I would love to have more time to explore those. Review Source EC Elle C. Program Manager, Research Programs and Evaluations Non-Profit Organization Management Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Working Well with Multiple Departments" May 16, 2019 4.0 My company is using OpenWater to accept grant application submissions from individual faculty. Other departments also use the platform to accept student fellowship and volunteer applications. Overall we are able to do what we need, however there is no easy way to reveal blinded submissions for judging rounds. We're still in the building stages- and we like that we can build one round at a time instead of needing to have the judging settings set up before accepting applications. Pros In our organization the greatest asset for this software is the ability to host multiple sites. We're able to put application opportunities on separate secure platforms, each for different audiences. Cons The round options and judging settings are not automatically user-friendly. Another staff member had to spend some time explaining the features in detail before anyone from my team could use the product. For instance it isn't clear that the open round automatically has judging set up based on which program type is selected. And there is no testing feature- in order to test the application portal you must open the submission round. We also had to switch which staff would have super-user status since only two are allowed. Review Source GS Gabby S. Coordinator of Association Services Hospital & Health Care Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "We love OpenWater" February 11, 2021 5.0 Overall, we love our experience with OpenWater and everything has been very positive. We highly recommend the product. Pros My organization has been using OpenWater for a little over a year and it has been a life-saver for our company. We love it! It is easy to teach yourself things, and admin can reach out to customer service for calls and for help. There are many help articles. You are able to have applications, judging, and surveys. Open Water is very versatile. Cons While Open Water is easy to navigate and teach yourself, it is also very intricate. There are so many things that can be done in Open Water and so many different ways to do them that sometimes it is difficult to teach others how to use the program. Review Source MH Melissa H. Product Marketing Manager, Awards Marketing and Advertising Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Daily User" July 17, 2019 5.0 Pros I like how simple report setup is. In my role, I'm largely concentrated on the analytics behind who is entering, the time it takes them to enter, etc. and the dynamic reporting has helped my effort. We've also recently migrated our public-facing awards pages over to the OpenWater platform and the process has been a dream. Cons The chat between different platforms could be improved. We use specific email software that, if enabled, would be able to talk to OpenWater to allow us to streamline correspondence with entrants Review Source MA Maria A. IT PM Non-Profit Organization Management Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Great product" February 27, 2019 5.0 OpenWater has saved my organization money and time. It is a great product and I highly recommend it. We will likely use OpenWater for other business needs. Pros he software does want we want to do. The implementation was very fast and customer service is amazing! I have never before worked with a vendor that is this responsive. Cons The software has a lot of functionality that we will likely not use making it at first overwhelming. Once you get use to the application, you know exactly where you need to go and overlook the features you do not use. Review Source MO Michael O. Board Member Non-Profit Organization Management Used the software for: 2+ years ### "A great company who truly cares about your organization" September 28, 2016 5.0 This is our third year using OpenWater awards for our annual Golden Reel Awards program. We could not have found a better company to work with. The OpenWater platform is extremely user-friendly and the production team goes above and beyond our expectations. Successful programs take time to build. Please take the time to work with the support team and explore their tutorials. OpenWater will help you every step of the way! Michael Motion Picture Sound Editors Pros OpenWater will do their best to add custom solutions to their platform. Cons The back end doesn't allow for easy manipulation of large amounts of data. Would be great to have a table view to edit data. Review Source Response from Advanced Solutions International September 28, 2016 Hi Michael, Thanks for your review. We added a bulk edit view to our software. It covers many, but not all cases. Take a look here: http://academy.getopenwater.com/v2/articles/bulk-edit-view Your support rep will be reaching out to you with some more info about it. KD Konnie D. Senior Grants Specialist Fund-Raising Used the software for: 2+ years ### "We love OpenWater for Our Grants" April 3, 2019 5.0 Pros It's easy to use, is developed for grant professionals and their needs, our applicants have detailed yet simple applications they can finish in a single sitting. The print out for the reviewers is also really nice and our reviewers can easily add their scores and comments. So simplistically manageable. Cons It would be wonderful to have a budget format imbedded into the system so eliminate how many uploads our applicants have. The budget form would have to function quite like excel so it would tabulate grant budgets, even over several years. Review Source SM Sarah M. Partner Design Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Running Multiple Competitions" July 10, 2019 5.0 Pros OpenWater had pretty much all we needed to run our competitions, but through the years they have continued to update. It is an even better product than before. Customer service is very good. Cons There is a learning curve. You can do so much and as a result it takes some time to understand. So don't expect that you'll be up and running in an afternoon. Sometimes the UI/UX is a little weird (Settings vs Manage? I still don't understand the difference). Eventually, with enough use, you can intuit how the system works. Review Source JY Joshua Y. CEO Education Management Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Powerful and flexible awards management system" May 24, 2020 4.0 I have developed several complex programs in the system and spoke with developers and customer service daily. Pros The system is extremely straight forward and easy to administer and develop programs. The customer support is also some of the best I have ever encountered. Cons The system has workflow limitations based on some standardized design features. Their sales promises more than they may actually be able to deliver when you have a unique or complex review workflow. Review Source Joshua M. Special Projects Coordinator - MI SBDC Lead Center Higher Education Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "The cost-benefit of OpenWater is outstanding, far exceeding expectations." November 30, 2017 5.0 Pros Easy to use for admins and users. It has increased nomination and application submissions by 100%. The support is responsive and friendly. Cons It can be limited in how awards with different nomination or application processes are built into the same awards program. The OpenWater staff has been very helpful in providing solutions for those nuances. Review Source PB Pavan B. Director Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Happy customer! " September 14, 2017 5.0 Pros Amazing service - lightning quick responses...wow! Super helpful to have the judges watch videos right through the platform. Loving the new premium theme feature :) Review Source RK Reggie K. President Used the software for: 2+ years ### "OpenWater has transformed our clients' awards programs and we couldn't have achieved it without them" September 18, 2017 4.0 Pros The software is very robust and when when we're trying to do something that isn't within the platform, the team is always willing to find a work-around for us. Cons We would like to see the integration of more visual reporting(i.e ability to create more visual charts and graphs in the dashboard and the exported PDF's). Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Event Logistics Manager Leisure, Travel & Tourism Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Very expensive for what you get" May 1, 2021 5.0 Overall, my experience has been positive. However, the expense outweighs the benefit of the overall software. Pros Openwater is very customizable compared to other Call for Papers tools currently on the market. It allows customizable questions and fields for submitters and same for reviewers. I love that it has the blind and double blind option for reviewers and some automatic email capabilities. Cons This software is extremely expensive compared to others on the market that can do the same exact thing and have the same features. Review Source SM SARA M. Exdcutive Director Public Relations and Communications Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Software Review" April 23, 2019 4.0 Pros Easy for users and admin. We use it only once a year. The knowledge base is good Cons The reporting needs work. Most reports come in Excel. Need better tools Review Source HL Hannah L. Leadership Programs Coordinator Non-Profit Organization Management Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Best application software" September 25, 2019 5.0 Pros OpenWater is so intuitive and user-friendly. I also love the customer support that is provided. Cons Although the software is intuitive, it takes a little bit of training to get used to the functions. Switched from [Jotform](https://www.capterra.com/p/158456/JotForm-4-0/) OpenWater provided functions that JotForm didn't, such as Judge Scoring/Review. OpenWater is also much easier to use on a larger scale. Review Source BR Brock R. Chair, 2019 Design Show Design Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Good functionality. Better service." August 12, 2019 4.0 Our professional organization runs a biannual awards competition. OpenWater is the platform we use to manage entry submissions, payments, and applicant notifications. Overall it is a good platform, though there's definitely a learning curve. If I were to use it consistently over time, I suspect I would get quite a lot of value out of it. Pros The customer support was absolutely the best part of using OpenWater. Whenever I had a question, the rep was immediately on top of it. She was incredibly helpful. Cons The navigation is not particularly user friendly. There are a lot of features, but they can be difficult to find, because they are hidden down different rabbit holes. It's not always intuitive to use. Review Source CM Cindy M. Executie Assistant Non-Profit Organization Management Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "OpenWater Platform" April 23, 2019 5.0 Excellent staff and customer service! Pros We love the look of the platform and details. It is also easy to use. Cons A few items are not changeable but still overall very good. Review Source DR Douglas R. Professor Education Management Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Useless Split Screen" March 23, 2024 1.0 I hated using it. It slowed me down, was cumbersome and had no option to get a printout of the application to review off line. Pros The split screen for reading the application and answering review questions is nothing short of useless - constant needless scrolling back and forth. Cons Split screen - lack of options to download the application as a pdf - need to be online to use this. Review Source SM Sara M. Manager of Research and Grants Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Had to learn pretty quickly, some confusing aspects of the platform that I know I won't use." December 8, 2017 4.0 Pros All-in-one concept where applicants can submit their applications, reviewers review/judge and can export data. Also, I like being able to go in on the admin side to edit or change anything. Cons It was tricky to learn the terminology and the platform itself. Also, the website seems to take a long time to load. Review Source BS Betsy S. Used the software for: ### "Highly recommended!" September 26, 2016 5.0 The OpenWater system has been great for our awards program. The applicants, judges, and our staff all find it easy to use and the support from OpenWater staff has been above and beyond. Any time we've had questions or been in need of systematic changes, OpenWater staff has been quick to respond and always helpful. Zack and Theresa are AWESOME! 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