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Award Force Zapier integrationAutomate Award Force with Zapier.

The Award Force Zapier integration gives you 13 triggers, 14 actions and 6 searches to move entries, judges and payments out of your awards program without copy-paste. Every trigger is instant, and the app runs on the free plan.

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Overview

What the Award Force Zapier integration actually does

Award Force is the platform that runs awards, grants, scholarships and pitch competitions: entries come in, judges score them, results go out. Plugging it into Zapier means an event in your program (an entry submitted, a payment cleared, a judge assigned) can set off work somewhere else, and other tools can push entries, users and files back in.

Three results people build first. A review queue that fills itself: Entry Submitted starts the Zap and Create Review Task opens the next check, so nobody triages the inbox by hand. A finance trail with no gaps: Payment Pending and Payment Success tell the rest of your setup which entry fees are waiting and which cleared. Clean entrant records: Get User by Email finds the person before Update User corrects their profile, instead of creating a duplicate.

All 13 triggers are instant. Award Force calls Zapier itself, so even a free account gets the event straight away, with no waiting for a scheduled check. It also changes the cost maths below.

What Zapier does not do here: there is no delete operation, nothing touches scores directly, and every write action wants identifiers (slugs) for seasons, categories, rounds or judges that you have to bring from an earlier step. If the job is a heavy branching workflow, read the Award Force Make integration page and the n8n vs Zapier comparison before you commit.

Vocabulary

Zapier vocabulary in one minute

Eight words carry the whole page. Here they are in plain English.

Zap
An automation you build on Zapier: one starting event, then one or more steps that run every time that event happens again.
Trigger
The event that starts the Zap, such as an entry being submitted in Award Force. Once the Zap is on, Zapier waits for it.
Action
What the Zap does once it has started: the step that creates, updates, tags or uploads something for you.
Task
The unit Zapier bills. One task equals one action that finished successfully; your plan counts those, nothing else.
Instant vs polling
An instant trigger is pushed by the app the second the event happens. A polling one is checked by Zapier on a timer.
Filter
A step that lets the Zap continue only when the incoming data meets your condition, and quietly stops it otherwise.
Search step
A step that looks up something that already exists, like a user by email, so later steps can reuse what it found.
Connection
Your Award Force account linked to Zapier once, then reused by every step in every Zap that talks to Award Force.
Cost

What it really costs to run

Zapier never bills the trigger. It bills tasks, and a task is an action that worked.

  • Triggerfree, never billed
  • Free plan100 tasks a month
  • Free plan Zap size2 steps
  • Premium appno

Each successful action counts on its own, so a Zap with three actions uses three times what a one-action Zap uses, and an action that fails costs nothing. The free plan gives 100 tasks a month and unlimited Zaps, but only two steps per Zap: one trigger, one action. Add a filter, a search step or a second action and you have a multi-step Zap, which needs a paid plan. Award Force is not a premium app, so the integration itself is open from the free tier. The polling grid below barely matters here, because all 13 triggers are instant and skip it.

Connect

Connect Award Force to Zapier in 3 steps

  1. 01

    Open your Apps page

    In your Zapier account, go to Apps and click + Add connection. You need an Award Force account already, plus access to whatever entries or users you want the Zap to read or change.

  2. 02

    Find Award Force

    Type Award Force in the search box of the dialog that appears, pick it from the results, then click Add connection. A new browser tab opens on the Award Force side for the sign-in.

  3. 03

    Sign in and grant access

    Log in to Award Force in that tab and allow Zapier to use the account. From then on, every Award Force step in every Zap reuses this single connection.

First Zap

Your first Zap: route submitted entries to review

GoalEach submitted entry from one category gets a review task, with no manual sorting.

  1. 01

    Build: pick the trigger

    Start a new Zap, choose Award Force and the Entry Submitted event, then select your connection. Give the trigger a name; it becomes the name of the webhook on the Award Force side.

  2. 02

    Test the trigger

    Run the test. Zapier brings back the three most recent entries of the account, so you map the next steps on real data instead of guesses.

  3. 03

    Add a filter

    From the plus icon add Filter, pick the category field, a text rule, and the value you want. This step makes the Zap multi-step, so it needs a paid plan.

  4. 04

    Add the action

    Add Award Force with Create Review Task. Fill the review stage slug and map the entry from the trigger step into the Entry field.

  5. 05

    Test, then Publish

    Test the action once and check the task appeared in Award Force. Then click Publish: from now on, only entries submitted after that moment are picked up.

Triggers

Award Force triggers

13 events start a Zap when something happens in Award Force, and 13 of them are instant: the app calls Zapier straight away, whatever your plan.

1

Allocation Created

Instant trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when a new allocation is created.”

Fires as soon as a new allocation exists in Award Force, so whatever depends on that allocation can start without anyone refreshing a screen.

How it fires
the app tells Zapier the moment it happens, so the Zap starts right away, whatever your plan.
When to use it
a program manager who keeps a separate tracker of who is handling what, and wants it updated the minute an allocation lands.
Watch out
setup asks for the slug of an allocation that already exists, used only to show you a sample. No allocation yet means no sample to map from.
2

Assignment Created

Instant trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when a new assignment has been created.”

Reacts to every new judging assignment. The Zap receives the assignment as soon as Award Force records it, ready to be passed on.

How it fires
the app tells Zapier the moment it happens, so the Zap starts right away, whatever your plan.
When to use it
you brief judges outside Award Force and want each fresh assignment to produce its own reminder or welcome note for the judge concerned.
Watch out
it needs an existing assignment slug for its sample. Create assignments in bulk and the Zap runs once per assignment, each run spending tasks.
3

Entry Created

Instant trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when a new entry is created. This trigger works on a queue-based system and there could be a delay in receiving the response if there are lots of jobs in the queue.”

Starts the Zap when someone opens a new entry, even before it is submitted. That makes it the earliest signal you get from an applicant.

How it fires
the app tells Zapier the moment it happens, so the Zap starts right away, whatever your plan.
When to use it
a scholarship team that wants to nudge applicants who started a form, separate from the ones who actually sent it in.
Watch out
Award Force processes this event through a queue, so on a busy deadline day the hand-off to Zapier can lag behind the click.
4

Entry Moderated

Instant trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when the entry moderation status is changed.”

Goes off when the moderation status of an entry changes. It is the trigger that carries your team's moderation decisions out of Award Force.

How it fires
the app tells Zapier the moment it happens, so the Zap starts right away, whatever your plan.
When to use it
the moderation decision has to reach the entrant or another team, for example to tell sponsors which pitches made it through screening.
Watch out
it fires on every status change, whatever the new status. Put a filter on the status if one outcome matters, which makes the Zap multi-step.
5

Entry Submitted

Instant trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when a new entry is submitted. This trigger works on a queue-based system and there could be a delay in receiving the response if there are lots of jobs in the queue.”

Kicks in the moment an entrant submits. It is the signal that an application was actually sent in, not just started.

How it fires
the app tells Zapier the moment it happens, so the Zap starts right away, whatever your plan.
When to use it
an awards office that wants each submission routed to a review task, tagged, or announced to the category lead without anyone watching the dashboard.
Watch out
like other entry events, it goes through Award Force's queue first. When many entries land at once near a deadline, expect them to reach Zapier with some delay.
6

Entry Tagged

Instant trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when an entry is tagged. This trigger works on a queue-based system and there could be a delay in receiving the response if there are lots of jobs in the queue.”

Wakes the Zap whenever a tag is added to an entry. Tags become switches: a coordinator tags an entry and the follow-up runs on its own.

How it fires
the app tells Zapier the moment it happens, so the Zap starts right away, whatever your plan.
When to use it
a grants team that uses a tag such as shortlisted to mean the next round starts, and wants that tag to set off the paperwork.
Watch out
the event is queued on the Award Force side, and a Zap that also tags entries can set itself off in a loop. Keep the tags it writes different.
7

Entry Updated

Instant trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when an entry is updated. This trigger works on a queue-based system and there could be a delay in receiving the response if there are lots of jobs in the queue.”

Catches any change made to an existing entry. Use it to keep a copy of entries elsewhere in step with what is in Award Force.

How it fires
the app tells Zapier the moment it happens, so the Zap starts right away, whatever your plan.
When to use it
an entrant fixes a typo or swaps a file after submission and a sponsor report has to reflect the latest version.
Watch out
pair it with Update Entry and the Zap edits the entry, sees the edit, and runs again. That loop burns tasks fast; a filter breaks it.
8

Payment Pending

Instant trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when a payment is pending. This trigger works on a queue-based system and there could be a delay in receiving the response if there are lots of jobs in the queue.”

Signals that an entry fee is waiting to be paid. The order exists, the money has not arrived yet, and the Zap hears about it straight away.

How it fires
the app tells Zapier the moment it happens, so the Zap starts right away, whatever your plan.
When to use it
a competition with paid entries where finance chases unpaid fees, or where an entrant should get a reminder before the deadline closes.
Watch out
setup asks for the slug of an existing order to build its sample. A program that has never taken a payment cannot show one.
9

Payment Success

Instant trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when a payment is successfully made. This trigger works on a queue-based system and there could be a delay in receiving the response if there are lots of jobs in the queue.”

Tells Zapier that a payment went through. It is the cleanest way to know an entry fee is settled without checking by hand.

How it fires
the app tells Zapier the moment it happens, so the Zap starts right away, whatever your plan.
When to use it
the accounts team logs every confirmed fee, or the finance tool should mark the matching fee as settled.
Watch out
this event also travels through the Award Force queue. On busy days the confirmation can reach Zapier later than the payment itself.
10

Review Task Created

Instant trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when a review flow task is created.”

Starts when a review flow task appears. Each new step in your review process becomes an event other tools can react to.

How it fires
the app tells Zapier the moment it happens, so the Zap starts right away, whatever your plan.
When to use it
reviewers work from their own to-do list and you want each new review task copied there as soon as Award Force opens it.
Watch out
the sample needs the token of a review task that already exists. Run one entry through review before building this Zap.
11

Review Task Submitted

Instant trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when a review flow task is submitted.”

Answers the question every coordinator asks: is this review done? It fires when a reviewer submits the task.

How it fires
the app tells Zapier the moment it happens, so the Zap starts right away, whatever your plan.
When to use it
the next step of your process lives outside Award Force, such as telling the entrant that a check is complete or moving the file on.
Watch out
a review task token is required to load the sample, so at least one task must exist and ideally one already submitted.
12

User Registered

Instant trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when a new user registers. This trigger works on a queue-based system and there could be a delay in receiving the response if there are lots of jobs in the queue.”

Picks up each new person who signs up to your program, so onboarding can begin right after registration.

How it fires
the app tells Zapier the moment it happens, so the Zap starts right away, whatever your plan.
When to use it
a pitch competition that wants every new registrant to get the entry guide, or added to a list kept by the communications team.
Watch out
registrations go through a queue on Award Force's side. A sudden wave of sign-ups can also be held back by Zapier's flood protection.
13

User Updated

Instant trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when a user updates their profile.”

Runs when a user edits their own profile. It keeps the contact details held elsewhere matching what people typed in Award Force.

How it fires
the app tells Zapier the moment it happens, so the Zap starts right away, whatever your plan.
When to use it
a judge changes their email or organization and the list your team uses for judge communications should follow along.
Watch out
it reports profile edits made by the user. If a Zap writes the profile with Update User, filter carefully so the two do not chase each other.
Actions

Award Force actions

Award Force gives you 14 actions. For each one: what it does for you, when to reach for it, and what to watch out for.

1

Create Assignment

Action

In Zapier“Creates a judging assignment in Award Force.”

Builds a judging assignment linking entries, judges, a score set and a round.

When to use it
assignments follow a rule you can express, such as all tagged entries going to one panel.
Watch out
the four fields take slugs, and entries and judges take lists of them, so they usually come from earlier steps.
2

Create Entry

Action

In Zapier“Creates an entry in Award Force.”

Adds a brand-new entry to Award Force from data collected elsewhere.

When to use it
applications arrive through another channel and have to land in Award Force for judging.
Watch out
the season, category and entrant slugs plus a title are all required, so the entrant must exist first.
3

Create Review Task

Action

In Zapier“Create a new review task”

Opens a review task for one entry at a given review stage.

When to use it
a submitted or tagged entry should enter your review flow without a coordinator clicking through it.
Watch out
you need the slug of the review stage and the entry slug from the trigger.
4

Create User

Action

In Zapier“Create a new user”

Registers a person in Award Force with a first name, last name, email and password.

When to use it
you sign up judges or entrants in bulk from a list your team already keeps.
Watch out
the password must be at least 12 characters, so the Zap has to supply one for every new user.
5

Get Allocation

Action

In Zapier“Returns an allocation by its slug.”

Reads one allocation by its slug and hands its details to the next steps.

When to use it
a Zap knows which allocation is concerned but needs its full record before writing anywhere.
Watch out
it sits among the actions, so each successful run counts as a task.
6

Get Attachment

Action

In Zapier“Returns an attachment for an entry. The response includes all attachment fields.”

Fetches one entry attachment, with all its fields, using the attachment token.

When to use it
a file submitted with an entry has to be archived or passed to someone outside Award Force.
Watch out
it needs the attachment token, a unique ID you get from an earlier step.
7

Get Fund

Action

In Zapier“Returns a fund by its slug.”

Returns one fund, looked up by its slug.

When to use it
a grants Zap needs the fund's details to fill a report or a message.
Watch out
the slug has to come from somewhere, often a previous step of the same Zap.
8

List Fields

Action

In Zapier“Returns a list of fields.”

Returns the list of fields configured in your program.

When to use it
you are mapping a new Zap and want to see which fields Award Force actually exposes.
Watch out
it is a reading step, so as an action it still adds a step and a task.
9

Search Entries by Tag

Action

In Zapier“This returns a list of entries with a specific tag.”

Pulls every entry carrying one tag into the Zap, as an action step.

When to use it
a Zap must act on every entry tagged shortlisted at once, rather than one at a time.
Watch out
the same lookup also exists as a search step below; as an action, each successful run counts as a task.
10

Tag Entry

Action

In Zapier“Add tags to an exsiting entry.”

Puts a tag on an existing entry, the simplest way to mark its status from outside.

When to use it
paid, verified or shortlisted entries should be visibly flagged for judges and staff.
Watch out
an Entry Tagged trigger will see the tag you add, so avoid tagging in the Zap it starts.
11

Update Entry

Action

In Zapier“Update an existing entry in Award Force.”

Changes an existing entry identified by its slug.

When to use it
information gathered outside Award Force, such as an interview outcome, belongs on the entry itself.
Watch out
a Zap triggered by Entry Updated that runs this action will loop.
12

Update User

Action

In Zapier“Update a user in Award Force”

Edits a user's details, found by the user slug.

When to use it
contact data corrected in another system should be copied back to Award Force.
Watch out
you need the slug, not the email: run Get User by Email first to fetch it.
13

Upload Entry Attachment

Action

In Zapier“Upload an attachment to an entry.”

Attaches a file to an entry on a given attachments tab, in the position you set.

When to use it
supporting documents collected elsewhere, like a reference letter, must sit with the entry.
Watch out
the file has to be sent as base64 encoded text, with its name and extension.
14

Upload Entry File

Action

In Zapier“Upload a file to an entry file field.”

Puts a file into a file field of an entry, rather than on an attachments tab.

When to use it
the form has a dedicated field, such as a budget sheet, and the file arrives from another tool.
Watch out
it needs the entry slug, the field slug, the file name and the encoded file.
Searches

Award Force searches

6 search steps look for data that already exists in Award Force, so a later step can use it.

Searches sit at the bottom of the Action event list, under SEARCH. Some action fields also offer + Add search step, which inserts the lookup just before and wires its result in for you. Award Force has no find-or-create variant: if nothing is found, nothing gets created.

1

Get Assignment

Search

In Zapier“Returns a judging assignment for a given slug.”

Looks up one judging assignment from its slug.

When to use it
a later step needs the judges or entries of an assignment you already know.
Watch out
it works from the slug only, so the slug has to come from an earlier step.
2

Get Entry

Search

In Zapier“Returns an entry by its slug. The response consists of all entry fields including files, attachments and contributors.”

Brings back a whole entry, files, attachments and contributors included.

When to use it
a trigger tells you which entry changed and the next step needs everything about it.
Watch out
it works from the entry slug only, not from the title.
3

Get User by Email

Search

In Zapier“This returns the user by their email address. The response includes all user fields including files.”

Finds a user from their email address and returns their profile, files included.

When to use it
you hold an email from a form and need the user's slug before Update User.
Watch out
with no match, the Zap stops unless you switch on the setting above.
4

Get User by Slug

Search

In Zapier“This returns user information for a unique slug.”

Returns the information of one user when you already have their slug.

When to use it
an assignment or entry step gave you a slug and you need the person's name or email.
Watch out
if the slug comes from a stale record, the search finds nothing.
5

Recuse Assignment

Search

In Zapier“Recuses a judge from judging an entry.”

Removes a judge from judging an entry, using the judge slug and the entry slug.

When to use it
a conflict of interest is declared outside Award Force and the judge must step back.
Watch out
it is listed under searches but it changes your program: test it on a dummy entry.
6

Search Entries by Tag

Search

In Zapier“This returns a list of entries with a specific tag.”

Finds entries that carry a given tag, as a search step.

When to use it
a step further down needs the entries tagged winner to build an announcement.
Watch out
several entries usually match, so set the multiple results option on purpose.

The three settings every search exposes

  1. Successful if no search results are found?
    Left on its default, an empty search stops the Zap and skips the steps that depended on it. Switched on, the Zap carries on empty-handed.
  2. Create X if it doesn't exist yet?
    This box turns a search into find-or-create. Award Force searches do not offer it, so a missing user stays missing.
  3. If multiple search results are found?
    Keep the first match (the default), stop the Zap, or pass every match on at once.
When it breaks

When it breaks

Zapier lists no Award Force help article and no app-specific rate limit. What goes wrong comes from how Zaps work in general.

Four cases to check first. If you are stuck past these, the Zapier troubleshooting guide walks through the editor checks.

  • Old entries never show up

    A Zap only reacts to events after it is published. Entries submitted before that will not flow through; moving that backlog is a separate job.

  • The Zap keeps firing itself

    Entry Updated plus Update Entry, or Entry Tagged plus Tag Entry, makes a loop that eats your tasks. Add a filter or write somewhere the trigger does not watch.

  • A deadline flood stalls

    When hundreds of entries land at once, Award Force's queue can delay them, and Zapier's flood protection can hold back a huge batch.

  • The trigger has no sample

    Each trigger needs the slug or token of an existing item to show a sample. Create one test entry, user, order or review task before setup.
Need help

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FAQ

Award Force Zapier integration FAQ

01Is the Award Force Zapier integration free?
Yes, you can start on the free plan. Award Force is not a premium app, so it is not reserved for paid plans. The free plan gives 100 tasks a month and unlimited Zaps, but each Zap is limited to two steps, one trigger and one action. As soon as you add a filter, a search step or a second action, the Zap becomes multi-step and a paid plan is required. For a simple flow like Entry Submitted to Tag Entry, free is enough.
02How many tasks does an Award Force Zap use?
One task per action that succeeds, and nothing for the trigger. A Zap that tags each submitted entry spends one task per submission. Add Create Review Task and it spends two. An action that fails is not counted, and the waiting Zapier does for events is not billed either. The real risk is volume: a deadline day with many submissions multiplies every action in the Zap, so check the count against your plan before the busy week, not during it.
03Are Award Force triggers real time?
Yes, all 13 are instant. Award Force tells Zapier about the event itself, so the Zap starts right away whatever your plan, and the 15-minute free-plan check does not apply to any of them. One nuance comes from Award Force: several entry, payment and registration events go through a queue on its side first, so when many jobs pile up, the event can reach Zapier later than the click that caused it.
04What does it take to connect Award Force to Zapier?
An Award Force account, plus access to the entries or users you want the Zap to touch. In Zapier, open Apps, click + Add connection, pick Award Force, then sign in to Award Force in the tab that opens and grant access. Setting up a trigger then asks for the slug or token of an existing item to show a sample, so have at least one test entry, user or order ready.
05Why does Recuse Assignment appear among the searches?
Because that is where Zapier files it, even though it changes your data. Recuse Assignment removes a judge from an entry using the judge slug and the entry slug. It behaves like an action that writes, not a lookup that reads, so treat it with care: test it on a dummy entry first, check the judge really disappeared from that entry, and put a filter in front of it so only declared conflicts reach that step.
06What if the Award Force operation you need is not available?
Then the integration simply cannot do it from Zapier. There is no delete operation and nothing that edits scores, for instance. Check the 14 actions and 6 searches above first, since a combination often covers the need, such as Get User by Email followed by Update User. If the gap remains, check whether another automation tool covers that operation for Award Force before you build a workaround, and note the need so it can be revisited when the integration changes.
07Zapier, Make or n8n for Award Force?
It depends on your criteria, not on a winner. On Zapier, Award Force brings 13 instant triggers that fire straight away even on the free plan, 14 actions and 6 searches, and the bill is counted in tasks. For the other two, line up the same three questions: which Award Force operations are actually offered, how a run is billed, and who on your team will maintain the workflow once it is live. The answers, not a ranking, should decide.
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