Privacy Policy

1. Who We Are

The Design Guild Awards ("we", "us", "our") is a global design recognition platform. Our registered contact email is connect@thedesignguildawards.com. By submitting an entry or using our website, you agree to this Privacy Policy.

2. Information We Collect

• Name, email address, and phone number provided during entry submission
• Project title, description, and uploaded files (images, PDFs, videos)
• Design category and professional designation
• Payment information processed via Razorpay (we do not store card details)
• IP address and basic browser/device metadata for security purposes

3. How We Use Your Information

• To process and evaluate your award submission
• To communicate with you about your entry status (reviewing, shortlisted, winner, or otherwise)
• To process award confirmation payments
• To feature winning entries on our website and promotional materials
• To send transactional emails related to your submission
• To comply with legal and regulatory obligations

4. Sharing of Information

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal data. We share your information only with:

• Razorpay — for payment processing (governed by Razorpay's Privacy Policy)
• Cloud storage providers — for secure file storage of submitted project files
• Email service providers — to deliver transactional emails
• Legal authorities — when required by law or court order

5. Data Retention

We retain submission data for a minimum of 3 years following the award season for archival, winner recognition, and dispute resolution purposes. You may request deletion of your data by contacting us at connect@thedesignguildawards.com, subject to overriding legal obligations.

6. Cookies

Our website uses strictly necessary cookies for admin session management. We do not use third-party advertising or tracking cookies. You may disable cookies in your browser settings, though this may affect site functionality.

7. Security

All data is transmitted over SSL/TLS encryption. Payment processing is handled entirely by Razorpay and is PCI-DSS compliant. We do not store credit or debit card details on our servers.

8. Your Rights

You have the right to:

• Access the personal data we hold about you
• Request correction of inaccurate data
• Request deletion of your data (subject to legal obligations)
• Withdraw consent for marketing communications

To exercise any of these rights, email us at connect@thedesignguildawards.com.

9. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Changes will be posted on this page with an updated revision date. Continued use of our services after changes constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.

10. Contact

For any privacy-related queries, contact us at connect@thedesignguildawards.com.