Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

Golden Melody International Music Competition (“we,” “our,” or “us”) is committed to protecting your personal information. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, and safeguard data when you visit our website, register for the competition, submit a contact inquiry, or make a donation.

By using our website or submitting a competition registration, you agree to the practices described in this policy. If you do not agree, please discontinue use of our services.

2. Information We Collect

Registration & Application Data

When you register for the competition, we may collect:

• Full name, date of birth, and nationality
• Email address and phone number
• Selected competition group and division (Amateur or Professional)
• Musical background and level of study
• Submitted performance recordings or repertoire information
• Parent or guardian name and contact information (for competitors under 18)

Contact Form Submissions

When you submit our contact form, we collect your name, email address, subject, and message. This information is transmitted via EmailJS solely to respond to your inquiry and is not stored on our servers beyond delivery.

Donation Data

Donation payments are processed by Stripe, Inc. We do not collect or store your credit card number or full payment details. Stripe’s own Privacy Policy governs the handling of your payment information.

Usage Data

We may collect basic, anonymized usage data (such as browser type, pages visited, and referral source) to improve site performance. We do not use third-party advertising trackers or behavioral profiling cookies.

3. How We Use Your Information

• To process and administer competition registrations and verify eligibility
• To communicate with competitors regarding schedules, results, and updates
• To process donation payments and provide acknowledgment of support
• To respond to inquiries submitted via our contact form
• To publish competition results and media content (with applicable consent)
• To improve the functionality and content of our website

We will not sell, rent, or share your personal information with third parties for marketing purposes.

4. Third-Party Services

We use trusted third-party services to process donation payments and deliver contact form submissions. These providers operate under their own privacy policies and terms of service, and we encourage you to review them. We receive only the minimum information necessary from these services — for payments, this means a transaction confirmation only; we do not have access to your full card details.

5. Children’s Privacy

The competition welcomes participants of all ages, including minors. For competitors under the age of 18, registration must be completed by a parent or legal guardian, who agrees to this Privacy Policy on the minor’s behalf.

We do not knowingly collect personal information from minors without verifiable parental or guardian consent. If you believe we have inadvertently collected such information, please contact us immediately at goldenmelodyimc@gmail.com.

6. Recording & Media Rights

By registering for the competition, competitors — and, where applicable, their parent or legal guardian — acknowledge that competition performances may be recorded, photographed, or livestreamed. Golden Melody International Music Competition reserves the right to use such recordings and images for promotional, archival, and educational purposes, including on our website, social media platforms, and other digital channels.

Competitors will not receive financial compensation for such use. If you have specific concerns regarding recording consent, please contact us before registering.

7. Data Retention

• Registration data — retained for up to two years following the competition for administrative and archival purposes
• Donation records — retained as required by applicable tax and financial regulations
• Contact form messages — retained only as long as necessary to resolve your inquiry

You may request earlier deletion of your data where it is not subject to legal retention obligations.

8. Your Rights

Depending on your jurisdiction, you may have the right to:

• Access the personal information we hold about you
• Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data
• Request deletion of your data, subject to legal obligations
• Withdraw consent at any time where processing is based on consent
• Lodge a complaint with a relevant data protection authority

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at goldenmelodyimc@gmail.com. We will respond within a reasonable timeframe.

9. Security

We implement reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect your personal data against unauthorized access, loss, or disclosure. However, no method of transmission over the internet is completely secure. We encourage you to contact us immediately if you suspect your data has been compromised.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The “Last Updated” date at the top of this page reflects the most recent revision. Continued use of our website after changes are posted constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.

11. Contact Us

If you have questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy, please reach out:

Golden Melody International Music Competition
goldenmelodyimc@gmail.com