About the Cloud Awards, the SaaS Awards and the Cloud Security Awards

The Cloud Awards were founded in 2011 by a group of technical engineers, business leaders and marketers. The Cloud Awards continues to be the de facto recognition platform for excellence and innovation in the sphere of Cloud Computing. In 2016, the Cloud Awards was augmented with the SaaS Awards recognition platform to more fully represent the breadth of cloud services available as software solutions. The first Cloud Security Awards program was announced in 2022.

How to enter

Please observe the deadline of the awards platform you wish to enter. The Cloud Security Awards deadline is towards the end of February. The SaaS Awards deadline is towards the end of May. The Cloud Awards deadline is towards the end of October. If you have missed the Security Awards or SaaS Awards deadlines you will still be eligible to enter the Cloud Awards, since it contains broad SaaS and Security categories.

Look at the categories on the awards page and decide which category, or categories, you wish to enter.
Download the application forms and complete the entry template/s offline. If you are making a joint application with another organization or client, you must ensure it is signed off before submitting it.
Complete your details and upload your completed document/s, along with any supporting materials, on the “Submit Now” page. You will then be prompted to pay the appropriate fee.

Please note that the SaaS Awards, Cloud Awards and Cloud Security Awards are two separate awards programs: if you wish to enter both, you must process two separate fees. Similarly, if you are submitting on behalf of multiple organizations you must process each separately.

FAQs

When is the entry deadline for the Cloud Awards?

For the Cloud Computing Awards, the entry deadline is always the penultimate (second-to-last) Friday in October. You will be notified if there is a deadline extension. Entries will be accepted until midnight in your local time zone. Please take note of any deadline extensions, if applicable, as displayed on the website. Typically we offer a grace period of two weeks after the deadline, for an extra submission fee.

When is the entry deadline for the SaaS Awards?

For the SaaS Awards, the entry deadline is always the penultimate (second-to-last) Friday in May. You will be notified if there is a deadline extension. Entries will be accepted until midnight in your local time zone. Please take note of any deadline extensions, if applicable, as displayed on the website. Typically we offer a grace period of two weeks after the deadline, for an extra submission fee.

When is the entry deadline for the Cloud Security Awards?

For the Cloud Security Awards, the entry deadline is always the penultimate (second-to-last) Friday in February. You will be notified if there is a deadline extension. Entries will be accepted until midnight in your local time zone. Please take note of any deadline extensions as displayed on the website. Typically we offer a grace period of two weeks after the deadline, for an extra submission fee.

How does the unlimited entries fee work?

Participants may nominate any one product/service/initiative, across any one awards program, into an unlimited number of categories, for one single “unlimited entries” fee. Organizations submitting more than one product/service/initiative should submit each separately and calculate the appropriate number of fees accordingly. (E.g., Organization X has three products, A, B and C. Product A is submitted into one category of the SaaS Awards. Product B is submitted in three categories of the SaaS Awards. Product C is submitted in six categories of the Cloud Awards. Three separate submissions should be made, and three separate fees are due by the respective awards deadlines: one single entry fee plus one multiple-entry fee for the SaaS Awards, and one multiple-entry fee for the Cloud Awards.)

My SaaS solution is not cloud-based. Can I still enter?

Solutions with, or with potential for, some cloud-based component may enter the Cloud Awards or Cloud Security Awards. However, any SaaS solution is eligible for submission to the SaaS Awards, whether you define it as cloud-based or otherwise. That includes single-tenanted solutions, private cloud leverage, and off-premise or on-premise solutions.

What is the eligibility period for entries?

Some extra credit may be given to any innovation in a product or service offering during the past 18 months (prior to the program closing date). It is also important to reference any recent updates or improvements to existing offerings. Please note that entrants are not required to have developed an entirely new product/service in the last 18 months to enter – any existing product or service offering is eligible.

Can I amend my entry?

You may contact us to email any modified applications up until the deadline, and we may take amendments into consideration. Please note also that entries will not be considered as submitted until payment has cleared. It may not be possible to re-evaluate revised submissions originally passed to us before the relevant Early Bird deadline, if the amendments are passed to us after that deadline has passed.

What is your policy on Commercial Confidence?

All provided information will only be viewed by the judging panel, and will be treated in the strictest confidence. It is advisable to complete the application/s as completely as possible.

When will the judging take place?

Cloud Awards judging will take place in November and early December of the awards year. SaaS Awards judging will take place during June of the awards year. Cloud Security Awards judging will take place in March of the awards year. Shortlisted entrants, and in the second stage, finalists, and then ultimately winners, will be contacted as soon as possible after the judging process has finished to update them on the status of their entry.

How many stages are there in the process?

From May 2022, the Cloud Awards program, the SaaS Awards program and the Cloud Security Awards program now each involve three stages of judging, each with a discrete, associated promotional opportunity:

The first stage is the publication of the Shortlist.
The second stage is the publication of the Finalists.
The final stage is the publication of the Category Winners.

When will I hear back if I’ve been successful?

Cloud Awards timetable: Shortlisted candidates contacted and information released by Dec 31. Finalists notified by end of second week of January. Winners notified by end of first week of February.
SaaS Awards timetable: Shortlisted candidates contacted and information released by July 31. Finalists notified by August 31. Winners notified by September 30.
Cloud Security Awards timetable: Shortlisted candidates contacted and information released by April 30. Finalists notified by end of second week of May. Winners notified by end of first week of June.

When and where are the Awards Ceremonies?

Due to the global nature of the Cloud Awards, the SaaS Awards and the Cloud Security Awards, we have deemed it impractical to have an awards ceremony in any one location. Winners will be notified by email and in the press.

Award winners

There are now three rounds of promotional activity. For the Cloud Computing Awards, the SaaS Awards and the Cloud Security Awards, winners, finalists and shortlisted candidates will each be provided with a promotional pack at the relevant time, containing:

Awards logo to display on website and marketing materials
Template press release
Guidelines for releasing news to the media

All category winners who provide a US address will receive a prestigious Cloud Awards, SaaS Awards or Cloud Security Awards trophy.

Thought-leadership articles

All shortlisted candidates are eligible for publishing a thought-leadership article on the Cloud Awards website. All finalists are eligible for publishing an additional thought-leadership article. Winners are eligible for publishing a further thought-leadership article. There is a typical waiting time of 3-4 months before articles are published and correspondence will not be entered into concerning release dates or editorial schedule. See the editorial guidelines for more details.

What the fees cover

The initial entry fee covers all the activities and potential rewards as outlined in the respective programs.