Entry Fees

Entry fees are how award programs fund themselves. AwardKit charges entry fees through Stripe Connect, with zero commission: the full amount (minus Stripe's processing fee) lands in your account. Fees, pricing periods, member pricing, the multi-entry discount, discount codes, and tax all live on your program's Fees page, in four views: Prices, Discounts, Tax, and Payouts. A program with no fee shows "Entry is free" with a Charge an entry fee button; the four views appear once you set a fee, with a status at the right of the tabs ("Stripe connected" or "Stripe not connected", and the currency) that opens Payouts.

Before you start

Prices work without Stripe: you can set fees, periods, and codes, and entrants see them on the program page and the entry form. Stripe Connect gates checkout only, and it lives under Fees > Payouts. Connecting Stripe needs an active subscription, so until your organization subscribes, Payouts offers Subscribe instead. Until Stripe is connected, Prices and the program sidebar point you to it, a paid program cannot go live, and a live program that loses its Stripe connection pauses submissions. See Stripe Connect setup for the one-time onboarding.

Prices

Open Fees in your program. Prices has three sections: Entry fee, Deadline pricing, and Member pricing. There is no on/off switch: a program is free until it has a price somewhere.

• Entry fee: the amount every entry costs by default ("What one entry costs in every category without its own price."). Leave it empty, or set $0, and entries are free ("Entries are free. Enter an amount, or price individual categories on the Categories page."). Once something is charged, the section shows what entrants pay, for example "Entrants pay $120 to $275 across 3 periods".
• Currency: the select next to the fee (23 currencies). Set it before opening entries; see Currency.
• Deadline pricing and Member pricing follow as their own sections. The Multi-entry discount and Discount codes are under Discounts, in the order checkout applies them.

Saving happens automatically as you edit; there is no separate save button.

Typical award program fees range from $50 to $850 per entry. The right amount depends on your audience: students and early-career professionals tolerate $50 to $150; established companies tolerate $250 to $850. Look at competitor programs in your space for a benchmark.

Per-category prices

If different categories should cost different amounts, give them their own price under Fees > Prices > Per category ("Give a category its own price. Every other category uses the entry fee."). Only the categories that differ are listed. Click Set a category's price, pick the category, and type its price; with member pricing on, each entrant type gets its own column. Leave an entrant type's cell empty to use its standard price, or enter 0 to make the category free. Use the entry fee in a row's ··· menu puts the category back on the standard price.

Per category sits right under Entry fee on Prices: together they are your base prices. Deadline and member pricing apply to them too: an early bird discount applies to a category's own price, and each entrant type gets its own column. On the Categories page, each category shows the range an entrant can pay, tagged Own price when it has one; clicking it opens that category's row under Per category.

Common patterns:

• Student rate: $50 for "Student Innovation", $250 for the rest
• Sponsor-backed categories: $0 for a category that a sponsor is funding directly
• Small / large entrant tiers: $150 for "Small Business", $500 for "Enterprise"

A category without its own price uses the standard fee. A category set to 0 is free even when the standard fee is not.

Deadline pricing

Deadline pricing charges different amounts as your deadline approaches: early-bird discounts before the standard price, late fees after it ("Early bird discounts before the standard price, late fees after it."). Up to 5 periods per program.

The schedule is anchored by the Standard price, which is always present: it charges the standard fee exactly and cannot be deleted. Early bird periods sit before it and late periods after it, so the list always reads top to bottom in time order. The final period has no deadline of its own; it simply runs until entries close.

Each early bird or late period has:

• Name: displayed to entrants when they are submitting (for example "Early Bird" or "Late Entry")
• Adjustment: a Percentage of the fee or a Fixed amount, whichever expresses your prices exactly. A clean 20% early discount is 20% off; a $550 standard fee with an $850 late fee is a fixed +$300.
• Deadline: each period runs "until" the date you set; the next period takes over automatically. Deadlines switch in the program timezone, on the entry form and at checkout alike.

Example schedule

Clicking Add deadline pricing starts you with an Early Bird discount and the standard price; Add early bird and Add late fee insert more periods around it. Remove deadline pricing takes the whole schedule away; Delete period removes one. A typical schedule for a program with a $300 standard fee and entries closing June 15:

The fee shown to an entrant on the form reflects whichever period is active when they are filling it out. The submitted entry locks in that fee.

The Entry fees card on the program page lists every period with its price and marks the active one Current. Once entries close, no period is marked, every period dims, and the card says "Entries closed on {date}."

Member pricing

Associations publish a fee grid, not a single price: member $190 early bird and $250 regular, non-member $275 and $350. Member pricing fits that grid cell by cell ("Charge different prices for different entrants, e.g. Member and Non-Member. The default entrant type pays the standard prices.").

1. Click Add entrant types. You start with two, Member and Non-Member; rename them freely and click Add entrant type for more, up to 8 per program.
2. Mark one as the Default entrant type. It pays the standard prices you already set ("Uses the standard entry fee above").
3. Give the others their own standard price ("Leave empty to use the standard fee"), and, if you use deadline pricing, fill the Period prices grid so every type has a price in every period. Enter 0 to make a type free.
4. Per-category prices can also vary by type: under Per category, each entrant type has its own column.

Remove member pricing takes the grid away and returns to a single price.

What entrants see: a required question on the entry form ("Are you a member?" or whatever your types are named) whose answer sets their price. It is an honor-system declaration, and it locks once the entrant pays. The declared type shows as an Entrant type column and filter in your Entries table and in the CSV export. Wherever a price varies by type, AwardKit shows the full range ("$190 to $350"), never a vague "from $190".

Multi-entry discount

Under Fees > Discounts, the multi-entry discount rewards entrants who enter several categories, automatically ("Automatically discount entrants who enter several categories. No code needed."). The published fee card shape "10% off 2 or more entries" becomes one rule.

Click Add discount and set:

• Minimum entries: how many paid categories it takes before the discount applies (2 or more)
• Discount amount: a Percentage of the checkout subtotal, or a Fixed amount
• How a fixed amount applies: off the checkout takes it off the checkout once (the default), and off each entry takes it off every paid category from that entry on

A fixed amount off each entry covers fee rules like "Submit more than 2 entries and receive $10 off each additional submission": choose $, off each entry from entry, and **3**. Three paid categories get $10 off, five get $30 off, ten get $80 off, with no ceiling. The amount never takes a category below zero. With a fixed amount off each entry, earlier entries pay full price, and within one checkout the discount goes to the lowest-priced categories first. Entrants see it on the fee card as "From your 3rd category: $10 off each".

Add several rules to build a tiered ladder, for example 5% off 3+ and 10% off 6+. The highest threshold reached applies on its own: a 7-category entry gets 10% off, never 15%. Rules never stack with each other. Every rule in a ladder is the same kind (all % or all $), each higher threshold needs a bigger discount than the one before it, and a discount off each entry is always the only rule. Delete discount removes a rule.

How it counts

For a percentage or a fixed amount off each entry, the threshold counts every paid category the entrant has entered in the program, the ones they already paid for plus the ones in the checkout they are paying now. An entrant who paid for 3 categories at "10% off 2+" and comes back a week later to add a 4th gets 10% off the 4th. On a ladder of 5% off 3+ and 10% off 6+, an entrant with 5 paid who adds 2 more gets 10% off those 2, and the first 5 keep what they paid. With "$10 off each from the 3rd" and 2 already paid, a checkout of 3 more takes $10 off all 3, while a first checkout of 3 takes it off the 3rd only. Earlier checkouts are never repriced or refunded.

A fixed amount off the checkout ("$50 off 3+") counts only the paid categories in that checkout, so each checkout qualifies (or does not) on its own and earlier payments never help reach it.

Free categories never count. Categories paid with a discount code still count, even when the code made them free. When a payment is fully refunded its categories stop counting, while a partial refund leaves them counted as paid. The count belongs to the entrant who leads the entries, so a per-entry discount comes out the same whether they pay as they go or use Pay later, add more entries and settle one balance. A percentage works differently, because paying together discounts every category in that checkout, while paying as you go discounts only the categories from the threshold onward. A balance payment counts all of its entries' paid categories together, so two single-category entries paid at once reach a "10% off 2+" rule exactly like one two-category entry does.

If the program sets both entries per person and categories per entry, one person can enter at most the two multiplied together, so a rule whose threshold sits above that can never be reached. The section tells you so, and entrants are not shown the rule on the program page or the entry form.

How it combines with other pricing

Discounts apply in a fixed order, so the math is always reproducible:

1. Each category's base fee, for the entrant's type
2. The active deadline-pricing period
3. The multi-entry discount, once on the subtotal (or on each paid category from the threshold, for a fixed amount off each entry)
4. A manual discount code, if entered
5. VAT or GST, if declared

What entrants see

The rule is advertised where it matters: a note on the category step, a nudge under the running total while they are one category short, and a savings line the moment they qualify ("Includes your 10% multi-entry discount ($30 off)"). The fee summary itemizes the discount, and the public program page's fee card says "Applied automatically at checkout."

Pay later and the entry balance

Entrants submitting several works do not have to check out once per entry. On every program that charges entry fees, the entry form offers Pay later, add more entries: the submission completes immediately and its fee goes onto the entrant's balance. A banner on your program page and a button in the top bar then prompt them to settle everything, every unpaid entry, in one checkout. If you have set a multi-entry discount, it applies across all of it.

What this means for you as the organizer:

• Unpaid entries are always visible. They appear in your entries table with an Unpaid badge and the amount owed, so nothing sits invisible in a cart.
• Payment is due before entries close. The balance surfaces say so, and AwardKit emails entrants with unpaid balances inside the last three days before the deadline. No setup needed.
• Abandoned checkouts recover themselves. If an entrant opens the payment page and never finishes, their entries simply return to the balance, still owed, still one click from paid. No organizer intervention.
• Reporting stays clean. A checkout that covered several entries is split across them in your dashboard and CSV export, so summing the export reconciles with your Stripe payouts.

Entrants who enter a discount code pay immediately at submission; codes never combine with the balance. See Paying entry fees for the entrant's side.

Discount codes

Under Fees > Discounts, discount codes give specific entrants (sponsors, partners, alumni, returning entrants) a reduced fee ("Create promo codes for sponsors, members, or special offers. Applied after the multi-entry discount."). AwardKit supports two types:

• Percentage off (for example, 25% off the checkout total)
• Fixed amount off (for example, $50 off)

Click Add code and fill in:

• Discount code: what the entrant types on the form (case-insensitive). Use codes you can communicate easily ("EARLYBIRD20", "SPONSOR", "ALUMNI50").
• Discount amount and type: Percentage of the checkout total or Fixed amount
• Maximum uses: "Maximum uses. Leave empty for no limit."

When an entrant types the code on the form, the total updates right away. A code limited to 100 uses never lets a 101st entry through. Each code in the list shows its status (Active, Disabled, Expired, or Maxed out once it hits its limit) and how many times it has been used.

You can copy a code, turn it off with its switch, or remove it with Delete code in its ··· menu at any time. Existing entries that already used a deactivated code keep their discount.

Use cases

• Returning entrants: 25% off for entrants from last year's program ("ALUMNI25")
• Sponsor allotment: 10 free entries for a sponsoring organization (fixed-amount discount equal to the full fee, limit 10)
• Partner pricing: special rate for entrants from a specific industry association
• Internal testing: a staff-only code to submit test entries without paying

Currency

The currency is set per program (default USD) from the select next to the standard entry fee. It affects:

• The currency entrants are charged in
• The currency prize amounts are displayed in on the program page
• The currency on payment receipts and exports

Set the currency before opening entries. Changing it after paid entries exist will not refund or recharge those entries: each payment is recorded in the currency that was active at submit time, so the program can end up with mixed currencies in the Entries table and exports.

Charging VAT or GST

If your organization is tax-registered, add your registration under Fees > Tax ("The taxes you are registered to collect. AwardKit charges them at checkout and prints your numbers on every invoice."). AwardKit applies it at checkout, shows it to entrants next to every fee, and issues tax invoices. It works for UK and EU VAT, Australian and New Zealand GST, Canadian GST/HST, QST and PST, or any declared sales tax.

Click Add tax registration, choose One tax rate under What do you collect? ("VAT, GST or sales tax, the same for every entrant."), and fill in:

• Tax name: the label entrants see ("VAT", "GST", "Sales tax")
• Rate: the percentage you charge (for example 20, or 8.1)
• How it applies: Added on top of the fee charges fee plus tax (a $300 fee charges $360 at 20%). Included in the fee keeps your fee as the total and reports the contained tax (a $300 fee stays $300, of which $50 is VAT). The card previews the math for your standard fee.
• Registration number (optional): your VAT or GST number, "Shown on invoices so businesses can reclaim the tax"

Use the ··· menu on the registration to edit or remove it.

With tax configured, entrants see the rate next to every price, the fee summary breaks the tax amount out before checkout, and Stripe Checkout charges the correct total. After payment, the entrant receives a tax invoice issued in your organization's name showing the net amount, the tax rate and amount, and your registration number.

Tax applies to the post-discount amount: a $300 fee with a 50% discount code charges tax on $150, which is the correct order for tax purposes.

For your accounting, the CSV export breaks every payment into net, tax rate, tax amount, and gross. Changing tax settings only affects future entries; every payment keeps the rate it was charged at.

Canadian tax by province

Canada taxes by where the buyer is, so one rate cannot be right for a Canadian program: an Alberta entrant pays GST 5%, an Ontario entrant HST 13%, a Quebec entrant GST 5% plus QST 9.975%. Choose Tax by location under What do you collect? (available for Canada, with more countries to come), keep Country on Canada, and add each tax you are registered to collect, with its number: GST/HST, and QST (Quebec), PST (British Columbia), PST (Saskatchewan), or RST (Manitoba) where you hold them. A tax you have not added is never charged anywhere. Each invoice shows the numbers for the taxes it charges: a Quebec entrant's shows your GST/HST and QST numbers, an Ontario entrant's only your GST/HST number.

AwardKit supplies the rate for every province and territory, so you never enter one. The Rates section groups every province and territory by what an entrant there pays ("GST 5%: Alberta, British Columbia, ...", "HST 13%: Ontario"). Edit rates opens every rate by province; change one only if your situation differs, and Reset it to go back to AwardKit's rate. Outside Canada charges nothing unless you set a rate there. If a rate appears incorrect or out of date, contact support from the same section opens a support message about it. Whether a rate applies to you is between you and your tax advisor.

Adding your first Canadian registration adds a Canadian province or territory question to your entry form, required. It has its own Tax by province card in the form builder, where you can change its label and help text; it cannot be deleted while Canadian tax is on. Entrants answer it with the categories, before Continue, so the prices they compare already include their tax; until then, fees read "+ tax". Once they do, the fee summary shows each tax on its own line (GST and QST apart for Quebec), and so do Stripe Checkout and the invoice, which also names the province.

Entrants can change their province until the entry is paid, and so can you, from the entry's edit page. A balance payment covering several entries is taxed for one province: the payer confirms it in Pay your balance. The CSV export adds a Tax Province column and one amount column per tax (GST, HST, PST, RST, QST), so each tax adds up for your returns.

A program uses either Canadian registrations or one custom rate, not both: adding a Canadian registration replaces a custom rate.

What entrants see

On the entry form, the fee summary reads like a receipt:

• Each category line with its price for the active period and the entrant's type
• The multi-entry discount, once they qualify
• A field to enter a discount code; once applied, the total updates with the discount shown
• The tax line, if you declared one
• The total, with Continue to Payment to pay now or Pay later, add more entries to add it to their balance

After paying, they land back on their entry page with a confirmation and receive a receipt from AwardKit (a tax invoice when tax is declared). If they leave a checkout unfinished, the entry stays on their balance with a button to complete payment.

How fees are paid out

Entry fees flow directly into your Stripe balance. Stripe pays out to your bank account on your usual payout schedule (typically rolling 2-day for US accounts, longer for international). You can change your payout schedule in the Stripe Dashboard.

AwardKit takes zero commission. Stripe's standard processing fees apply (2.9% + $0.30 per transaction for US cards). Which payment methods entrants can use (cards, wallets, bank debits, bank transfers) follows your Stripe account's settings for the program currency. See Payments.

Fees > Payouts shows where the money stands, in three sections:

• This program: entry fees paid for this program. Collected (tax included), Tax collected split per tax ("GST $1,240.50 · QST $892.10"), Refunded, and Owed (fees on entrants' unpaid balances, before discounts and tax). Below, the latest payments with who paid, which entries, the tax, the amount, and a link to the payment in your Stripe dashboard. Export CSV downloads every payment: date, payer, entries, net, tax with one column per tax, gross, province, and the Stripe payment ID to reconcile against Stripe.
• Stripe account: the connection status, the account name, the bank account payouts go to, and your payout schedule.
• Balance and payouts: live from Stripe, Available and On the way, and your latest payouts with their arrival date and status. These cover your whole Stripe account, across all your programs.

Refunds

To refund an entry fee, do it from your Stripe Dashboard. A full refund updates the entry automatically and emails the entrant. See Payments for full details.

Tips

• Set a clear price ladder. Entrants pay attention to fees. A program with messy or inconsistent pricing reads as unprofessional.
• Open Early Bird at least 4 weeks before standard. Entrants need time to budget and approve internally; rushing them costs entries.
• Be transparent about prize money relative to fees. A program with $500 entry fees and $1,000 prize money looks bad. A program with $250 fees and $25,000 prize money looks worth entering.
• Use discount codes for retention. Returning entrants are your most valuable audience. A 20% repeat-entrant discount makes the case for entering again next year.
• Test the entire flow in Test mode by walking through the entry form yourself; the fee summary shows exactly what a real entrant would be charged. After going live, a real test entry with a real card (refunded in Stripe right away) confirms the payout path.