1. Operator
Action Award is operated by aicente (aicente.com), Hampton, NH. Contact: inbox@aicente.com
2. Eligibility
Open to individuals 18+ who are legal residents of the United States or Canada (excluding Quebec) at the time of entry. Employees of aicente and their immediate family members are ineligible. Previous winners within the past 24 months are ineligible to re-enter in the same category.
3. How to Enter
Visit aicente.com/action-award/register and complete the entry form including at minimum one profile photo and answers to three questions about yourself or your business. One entry per person. Entry deadline: July 1, 2026.
By entering, competitors grant aicente a limited, non-exclusive license to display submitted materials in connection with the competition.
4. Competition Format (2026 - League Phase Model)
The 2026 Action Award uses a single unified League Phase modeled after the UEFA Champions League Swiss Model, replacing the previous weekly group-phase elimination format.
- League Phase (Jul 1 – Jul 30): All accepted entrants compete in a single leaderboard for four consecutive matchweeks. No weekly eliminations - all participants remain active for the full phase.
- Direct Qualification: The top 8 participants on the leaderboard at the close of the Final Matchday (Jul 30) advance automatically to the Quarterfinals.
- Wildcard Round (Jul 31 – Aug 2): Participants ranked 9th through 24th compete head-to-head. Winners secure the remaining 8 Quarterfinal spots. Participants outside the top 24 are eliminated.
- Knockout Phase: Standard single-elimination bracket - Quarterfinals, Semifinals, Finals.
5. How to Vote
All authenticated users earn one (1) free vote every 8 hours. Additional votes may be purchased at the following rates: 10 votes ($10), 25 votes ($25), 50 votes ($50), 100 votes ($100), 250 votes ($250). Competitors may not vote for themselves.
Automated or bot voting is prohibited. Suspected bot activity will result in vote removal and possible disqualification. IP addresses and accounts found using automated voting will be banned.
6. Competition Schedule
7. Prizes
People's Choice Grand Prize (per category): $5,000 cash honorarium; cover feature on aicente.com/magazine; "Best [Category] 2026" verified badge on aicente profile; 1 year aicente Pro access.
Critic's Pick Prize: Invitation to aicente Annual Business Summit; published case study on aicente.com blog.
Top Voter Prizes: #1 Top Voter: PlayStation 5; #2: AirPods Pro; #3: $100 Amazon Gift Card.
8. No Refund Policy
All vote purchases are final and non-refundable. By purchasing votes, you acknowledge this policy. No refunds will be issued if a competitor is eliminated, disqualified, or withdraws.
9. Conduct
aicente reserves the right to disqualify any participant found to be: violating these rules; using automated voting tools; engaging in harassment; or otherwise undermining the integrity of the competition. aicente's decisions are final.
10. Dispute Resolution
Any disputes arising from this competition shall be resolved by binding arbitration in accordance with the rules of the American Arbitration Association, under the laws of New Hampshire. Class action waiver applies.
11. Contact
Questions? Contact inbox@aicente.com
FAQ
Is it free to enter?
Yes. Registration is completely free. No purchase necessary to enter or win.
What is the League Phase?
All accepted entrants are placed into a single unified leaderboard and compete for four full weeks (July 1 – July 30). There are no weekly eliminations - everyone stays in the competition for the entire League Phase, accumulating points through votes and evaluations each matchweek.
What is the Wildcard Round?
After the League Phase ends, the top 8 participants advance directly to the Quarterfinals. Participants ranked 9th through 24th enter the Wildcard Round (July 31 – August 2), a high-stakes head-to-head playoff for the remaining 8 Quarterfinal spots. Anyone finishing outside the top 24 is eliminated.
How many free votes can I cast per day?
Every authenticated account earns one (1) free vote every 8 hours. You may cast it for any eligible competitor - except yourself.
Can I buy additional votes?
Yes. Additional votes may be purchased at: 10 votes ($10), 25 votes ($25), 50 votes ($50), 100 votes ($100), 250 votes ($250). All purchases are final and non-refundable.
When is the registration deadline?
Registration is open now through July 1, 2026. The League Phase begins immediately after registration closes.
Can I enter multiple categories?
No. Each person or business may enter only one category per competition year.
What happens if I am eliminated?
Your public profile remains visible. You are welcome to re-enter in the next competition year. Eliminated participants and their supporters are still eligible for Top Voter prizes.
Can my business enter?
Yes. There are categories for businesses, restaurants, nonprofits, creators, and professionals - not just individuals. See the category list on the main Action Award page.
Who decides the Wildcard Round matchups?
Wildcard matchups (ranks 9–24) are seeded based on final League Phase standings. Head-to-head results are determined by votes accumulated during the Wildcard window (July 31 – August 2).
What are the prizes?
People's Choice Grand Prize (per category): $5,000 cash honorarium, cover feature on aicente.com/magazine, verified "Best [Category] 2026" badge, and 1 year aicente Pro. Critic's Pick: invitation to the aicente Annual Business Summit. Top Voters: #1 PlayStation 5, #2 AirPods Pro, #3 $100 Amazon Gift Card.
How do I report suspected cheating or bot voting?
Email inbox@aicente.com with the competitor's profile link and a description of the suspected activity. aicente reviews all reports and removes bot-flagged votes. Confirmed violations result in disqualification.
How do I withdraw my entry?
Email inbox@aicente.com from the email address used during registration. Withdrawal requests are processed within 48 hours. No refunds are issued for purchased votes.
TL;DR
Action Award crowns the best businesses, professionals, and creators by free public vote. Entering takes two minutes; every share of your competition link is organic word-of-mouth, because your fans want to see you win.
Action Award - Free Voting Competitions That Grow Your Name
Action Award crowns the best businesses, professionals, and creators by free public vote. Entering takes two minutes; every share of your competition link is organic word-of-mouth, because your fans want to see you win.
How to Get Started
- 1
Enter free
Pick a category - Local Legend, Face of the Season, Best Restaurant, Most Loved - upload a photo, answer three questions.
- 2
Share your link
Post it everywhere; friends and customers vote free and reshare it to their own circles.
- 3
Climb the bracket
Group phase to finals - winners earn cash honorarium, front-page features, and the Best of 2026 badge.
Key Benefits
- Free entry, free voting - a viral loop powered by people who love you
- Real prizes: cash honorarium, features, aicente Pro
- Every vote is a new person discovering your business
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to enter or vote?
Nothing - entering and voting are free. The competition is designed to reward the businesses and people communities already love.
What do winners actually get?
A cash honorarium, front-page feature placement, aicente Pro, and the Best of 2026 badge - plus the visibility from weeks of fans sharing their link.
The aicente Platform - Your Complete AI Business Workspace
aicente is designed around a simple principle: every tool a modern business needs should live in one connected platform, share the same data, and work together without integration complexity. Whether you are a freelancer managing a handful of clients or a multi-location business coordinating a team of fifty, aicente scales with your operation without requiring you to switch products, re-import data, or manage separate subscriptions as you grow.
The most powerful feature of aicente is not any individual tool - it is how all tools work together. A contact you add to Action CRM is immediately available in Action Proposal, Action Sign, Action Calendar, and Action Email. A signed contract in Action Sign automatically triggers a project in Action Planning and an invoice in Action Invoicing. A lead captured from your Action Link bio page flows directly into your CRM pipeline. A customer booking from Action Calendar syncs with your team schedule and triggers a confirmation email through Action Email. Nothing is siloed. Everything connects by design.
Every aicente tool includes native AI assistance. Drafting a proposal? The AI suggests pricing, writes section text, and formats your service items based on similar proposals in your history. Sending a follow-up email? The AI writes the message based on the contact's full activity timeline and the current deal stage. Managing your restaurant menu? AI generates item descriptions and suggests category organization based on your cuisine type. Building a waitlist? AI writes the launch announcement email and the referral incentive copy. The AI in aicente is not a chatbot add-on - it is woven into the core workflow of every action you take.
No Per-User Pricing Traps
Most business software charges per seat, which means your costs grow every time you add a team member. aicente is priced per workspace, not per user. Adding your entire team does not increase your monthly bill. The Pro plan covers unlimited users within a workspace, making aicente one of the most cost-effective platforms for growing teams who need powerful tools without the enterprise price tag.
Enterprise Security on Every Plan
aicente uses industry-standard encryption for all data at rest and in transit. Role-based access controls let administrators decide who can view contacts, send proposals, approve invoices, and access financial records. Action Sign is designed to support e-signature workflows that comply with the ESIGN Act and eIDAS regulations. Payment processing is handled by Stripe (PCI-DSS Level 1 certified). Your data is always yours - export everything at any time in standard formats.
Built for Speed, Not Just Features
Setup time for most aicente tools is measured in minutes, not weeks. No consultants, no implementation projects, no lengthy training sessions required. The interface is designed for business owners and their teams - not for enterprise IT departments. If you can use a modern web application, you can use aicente. Most new users are productive with their first tool within the same business day they sign up, and fully onboarded across multiple tools within a week.
Trusted Across Industries
Restaurants & Food Service: Restaurant owners and multi-location food businesses use Action Menu to build digital menus with QR-code ordering, Action CRM to manage supplier relationships, Bulk Email to send weekly specials, and Action Payroll to manage staff wages - all without leaving aicente.
Real Estate & Property: Real estate agents use Action Realestate and Action House to list properties, Action Sign for offer documents and listing agreements, Action CRM to nurture buyer and seller leads, Action Calendar for showing appointments, and Action Proposal for buyer representation agreements.
Healthcare & Medical: Clinics and healthcare providers use Action Patient to manage patient records and appointment booking, Action Calendar for scheduling consultations, Action Sign for patient consent forms, and Action Compliance to maintain documentation standards required for regulatory audits.
Creative & Beauty Services: Tattoo studios, salons, and creative agencies use Action Design for client bookings and portfolio management, Action Calendar for appointment scheduling, Action Sign for client consent and service agreements, and Action Invoicing for session billing.
Construction & Trades: Contractors and trade businesses use Action Workshop to manage service listings and crew availability, Action Proposal for project quotes, Action Sign for contracts, Action Schedule for workforce management, and Action Invoicing for progress billing on long-running projects.
Transportation & Logistics: Limo companies, courier fleets, and delivery businesses use Action Limo or Action Dispatcher for bookings and route management, Action CRM for corporate account management, Action Sign for service agreements, and Action Invoicing for recurring billing.
About the aicente Platform
Is aicente suitable for businesses outside the US?
Yes. aicente supports multiple currencies, multiple languages, and international address formats across all tools. Action Payments supports over 30 currencies. The e-signature system complies with both US (ESIGN) and European (eIDAS) electronic signature regulations. Businesses from Turkey, UAE, UK, Canada, Australia, and across Europe and Asia use aicente daily for their operations.
Can I try aicente before committing to a paid plan?
Yes. The aicente free plan gives you access to all core tools with generous usage limits - no credit card required. Free plan users can manage up to 500 contacts in Action CRM, send up to 3 proposals per month, schedule unlimited calendar events, and use the AI writing assistant for up to 50 requests per month. Upgrading to Pro removes all usage limits and unlocks advanced AI features.
How does aicente handle my data if I decide to cancel?
Your data belongs to you. Before cancelling, you can export all data from aicente - contacts, deals, proposals, documents, invoices, and e-signature records - in standard formats including CSV, PDF, and JSON. After cancellation, your data is retained for 90 days in case you change your mind, then permanently and securely deleted from aicente servers per our data retention policy.
Is there an API for integrating aicente with other tools I already use?
Yes. The aicente REST API gives developers programmatic access to contacts, deals, proposals, events, invoices, e-signatures, and more. Webhooks notify your external systems of key events in real time - new contact created, proposal signed, payment received, appointment booked. Full API documentation with code examples is available at aicente.com/docs/api. Native Zapier and Make integrations are also available for no-code connections.
How does aicente compare to Salesforce, HubSpot, or other all-in-one platforms?
Unlike platforms built by acquiring separate products and bolting them together, every aicente tool is purpose-built to share data from the ground up. Information flows naturally between tools with no integration setup, the interface is consistent across all tools, and you never hit data-silo walls. One login, one subscription, one support team covers your entire tech stack. For small to mid-size businesses, aicente typically replaces 8-12 separate software subscriptions.
What kind of support does aicente provide?
All paid plans include email support with a response time commitment of 24 hours or less. Pro and Business plans include live chat support during business hours. Enterprise plans include a dedicated account manager and priority escalation. The aicente Help Center contains step-by-step guides for every feature, and the community forum lets users share workflows and best practices with thousands of other aicente businesses.
Get Started with aicente Today
Join thousands of businesses that have consolidated their operations onto the aicente platform. Sign up free at aicente.com - no credit card required, no implementation project, no training sessions. Your first tool is live within minutes, your whole operation is connected within days. When you are ready to grow, every aicente tool is already waiting for you in the same workspace, with the same data, under the same subscription. Build, fund, and deploy your business with AI on your side.