Built by vertical SaaS practitioners, for vertical SaaS practitioners. We exist to spotlight the implementations that truly move industries forward.
Horizontal software gets the headlines, but vertical SaaS does the heavy lifting. The companies building EHR systems, construction platforms, lending engines, and manufacturing tools solve problems that generic software never could.
Praxis Awards was founded to give these companies the recognition they deserve—not through pay-to-play sponsorships, but through a rigorous, merit-based evaluation rooted in real implementation outcomes.
The word praxis means the practical application of theory. That's exactly what great vertical SaaS achieves: turning deep domain knowledge into technology that works in the real world.
noun — practice, as distinguished from theory; the practical application of a branch of learning.
No vendor sponsors our program. No vendor can buy an award. Our evaluations are funded by entry fees and kept free from commercial influence.
Our criteria, scoring rubrics, and judging process are published openly. Every nominee receives detailed feedback on their evaluation.
Every judge brings hands-on experience in the industry vertical they evaluate. We don't believe in generalist panels for specialist products.
We evaluate implementations based on measurable outcomes—adoption rates, workflow improvements, ROI—not just feature lists or press mentions.
Multiple judges per category, standardized scoring, and a structured deliberation process ensure that every award is defensible and consistent.
Open to companies of all sizes and geographies. We believe great vertical SaaS can come from a team of five or a team of five thousand.
A structured, repeatable process that prioritizes implementation outcomes over marketing narratives.
Every submission is verified for completeness, category fit, and basic eligibility requirements before advancing to evaluation.
Judges review submitted case studies, customer references, adoption metrics, and implementation outcomes against category-specific criteria.
Each nomination is scored independently by a minimum of three domain-expert judges using a standardized rubric with weighted dimensions.
Judges convene to calibrate scores, discuss edge cases, and ensure consistency across the category before finalizing rankings.
For finalists, we conduct independent outreach to referenced customers to validate the implementation outcomes presented in submissions.
Gold, Silver, and Bronze designations are awarded based on composite scores, with results reviewed by an independent oversight committee.