What The Cloud Awards does

The Cloud Awards is an international B2B awards platform operator, run by the UK-registered private limited company Awarding and Consultancy International Ltd. Founded in 2011 and headquartered in London with a regional office in New York, the organization administers five annual awards programs — The Cloud Awards (original), The SaaS Awards, The Cloud Security Awards, The A.I. Awards, and The FinTech Awards — that recognize innovation across cloud computing, software-as-a-service, cloud security, artificial intelligence, and financial technology. The programs accept entries from organizations of any size, vertical, or geography and are judged by independent subject-matter experts.

The underlying technology is a conventional digital marketing and operations stack: WordPress sites hosted on Rocket.net, Stripe for payment processing, Mailchimp for email, Zoho Bigin for CRM, Microsoft SharePoint for secure document sharing with international judges, and Cloudflare for CDN and security. No public API, SDK, or AI-driven judging capability is offered; all evaluation is human-expert-based. The portfolio also includes a Success Suite paid feedback service, an editorial contribution offering, and an annual Market Insights Report that aggregates data from entrant organizations.

The business model is straightforward: per-program, per-project, per-category entry fees paid up front, with optional monetization from Success Suite feedback, trophy production (included in fees, shipping limited to North America), editorial placements, and the Market Insights Report. Go-to-market is primarily direct-to-consumer/self-serve through the website, supported by email, PR distribution (PR Newswire, GlobeNewswire), LinkedIn, and a news center. The customer base spans hundreds of organizations globally, with named past winners including IBM, Cisco, Red Hat, Darktrace, Aqua Security, Bloomreach, Sage, Wolters Kluwer, and DBS, and recent winners spanning FinTech (Fiserv/Finxact, Auditoria.AI), healthcare (Anterior), security (CyberArk), and government (Geographic Solutions).

Name

The Cloud Awards

Legal name

Awarding and Consultancy International Ltd

Website

https://cloud-awards.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Cloud Awards, operated by Awarding and Consultancy International Ltd, runs five annual international awards programs (Cloud, SaaS, Security, AI, and FinTech) recognizing technology innovation across organizations of all sizes and geographies, monetized through per-entry fees and optional add-on services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Business Awards and Recognition

NAICS

Business Associations (813910)

akta.pro primary industry

Virtual Awards Ceremonies & Competitions (Judging, Voting) (MPAGAOAN)

Keywords

• Cloud computing awards
• SaaS recognition programs
• FinTech industry awards
• AI innovation awards
• Cloud security recognition

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Awards Entry Fees: Organizations pay entry fees to submit nominations across the five awards programs. Fees apply per program, per project, and per category entered. Different products, services, or initiatives from the same organization each constitute separate entries with separate fees. Late entries may incur additional fees.
2. Success Suite Feedback Service: An optional paid feedback service providing post-results commentary, areas for improvement, and high-level category insights delivered within three months of winners being announced. Does not influence judging outcomes.
3. Trophy Production and Shipping: Organizations that win categories receive trophies (one per winning category). Production and shipping costs are included in entry fees, with shipping limited to North America (US and Mexico).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Cloud Awards operates five annual international awards programs — The Cloud Awards, The SaaS Awards, The Cloud Security Awards, The A.I. Awards, and The FinTech Awards — through which organizations pay per-entry fees to submit nominations for independent expert judging. Winners receive trophies, international recognition, promotional badges, publicity support, and eligibility to contribute to the annual Market Insights Report, with the optional paid Success Suite providing post-results feedback commentary.

Product overview

The Cloud Awards is a suite of five distinct international awards programs: The Cloud Awards (the original cloud computing program), The SaaS Awards, The Security Awards, The A.I. Awards, and The FinTech Awards. Together, they form a comprehensive portfolio recognizing excellence across cloud computing, software-as-a-service, cloud security, artificial intelligence, and financial technology sectors. The organization also offers supplementary services including the Success Suite (paid feedback program), editorial contribution opportunities for winners, and an annual Market Insights Report. Organizations of any size, vertical, or geographic region may apply for recognition through these programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• The Cloud Awards The original international cloud computing awards program recognizing excellence in cloud-based offerings across multiple categories; open to organizations of any size, vertical, and geography, with submissions accepted via online entry forms.
• The SaaS Awards Annual awards program recognizing exceptional achievements in the Software-as-a-Service sector across categories including overall excellence, technological innovation, business process enhancement, and sector-specific expertise.
• The Cloud Security Awards Annual awards program recognizing innovation, effectiveness, and outstanding achievements in cloud security across more than 20 categories covering web security, identity access management, and information security; now in its fourth year (2026).
• The A.I. Awards Annual awards program recognizing outstanding artificial intelligence applications, structured across four pillars covering General AI Excellence, AI for Business Operations, Technology Excellence, and Vertical/Industry AI Applications, aimed at distinguishing genuine AI breakthroughs from industry hype.
• The FinTech Awards Annual awards program recognizing excellence in financial technology, with categories spanning SaaS for FinTech, international functionality, banking, payments, lending, insurance, payroll, accounting, compliance, and industry verticals including healthcare, retail, manufacturing, and real estate.
• Success Suite Feedback Service Optional paid add-on service providing post-results feedback to entrants across the awards programs, including commentary on submissions, areas for improvement, and high-level category insights; delivered within three months of winners being announced and explicitly does not influence judging outcomes.
• Market Insights Report Annual research report containing analysis and insights from hundreds of organizations that participated in The Cloud Awards programs, including expert opinions on cloud computing, SaaS, AI, security, and FinTech trends, data analysis from industry entrants, and predictions for the year ahead.

Quantifiable outcome

• Global participation spanning USA, Canada, UK, Europe, Middle East, and APAC regions
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers16 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• StripecoreTechnology or IntegrationThird-party payment processing provider used by The Cloud Awards for secure payment collection during the entry process. The company does not store card details directly, relying on Stripe for payment processing.
• MailchimpcoreTechnology or IntegrationEmail marketing and CRM platform used for mailing list communications and customer relationship management.
• Microsoft SharePointcoreTechnology or IntegrationSecure collaboration platform used to share limited application materials with authorized judges and subject matter experts located internationally, including the United States.
• WordPress / Rocket.netcoreTechnology or IntegrationWebsite hosting and content management platform powering cloud-awards.com and associated online tools.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Cybersecurity Excellence Awards: Cybersecurity Excellence Awards is a community-voted and industry-recognized program specifically for cybersecurity products, directly overlapping with The Cloud Security Awards program. It is a comparable niche peer in one of the five verticals The Cloud Awards serves.
• PR Daily Awards: PR Daily Awards, run by Ragan Communications, recognizes work in PR, communications, and marketing technology. It is comparable to The Cloud Awards in operating a multi-category paid-entry awards portfolio aimed at enterprise marketing and communications buyers.

Direct peers

• Digiday Awards: Digiday Awards recognizes work in digital media, marketing, and technology through a paid-entry, judged program. It directly overlaps with The Cloud Awards' SaaS and Cloud customer base, particularly on the marketing and B2B tech side.
• Globee Awards: Globee Awards operates a portfolio of international business and technology awards programs (Disruptor, American, World, Golden Bridge, etc.) using the same self-serve paid-entry model as The Cloud Awards, targeting enterprise B2B entrants globally. It is the closest direct peer in product, customer base, and revenue model.
• The Stevie Awards: Stevie Awards runs multiple business awards programs (American Business Awards, International Business Awards, Stevie Awards for Technology Excellence) with paid entries, judging panels, and trophy fulfillment. It competes head-on with The Cloud Awards for the same enterprise technology entrant pool.
• TITAN Business Awards: TITAN Business Awards is a paid, multi-category international business awards program covering innovation, technology, marketing, and leadership. It competes with The Cloud Awards for the same enterprise tech entrant willing to pay for an international award badge.
• dotCOMM Awards: dotCOMM Awards is an international awards competition for web, digital, and communication excellence run by the same parent organization as the MarCom Awards. It overlaps with The Cloud Awards in targeting enterprise technology and SaaS vendors seeking paid, judged recognition.
• The Shorty Awards: The Shorty Awards is a long-running digital and technology awards program with paid entries, expert judging, and brand-led ceremonies. It targets similar enterprise and agency technology entrants as The Cloud Awards, especially across SaaS, AI, and digital categories.

Broad incumbents

• The Webby Awards: The Webby Awards, run by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, is a more established and higher-prestige incumbent in internet/digital recognition. It is comparable to The Cloud Awards in that it pays a global jury to recognize technology and digital work, but it is far larger and more media-driven.
• The Drum Awards: The Drum Awards is a long-running set of marketing, media, and technology awards run by The Drum media brand. It overlaps with The Cloud Awards in serving enterprise B2B and SaaS marketing teams but operates as part of a larger media ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Cloud_Awards

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Cloud Awards