Privacy Policy

1. Who we are (Data Controller)

The competition is organised by Nataliia Bilotserkivska, based in Vienna, Austria. We are the data controller responsible for your personal data under the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and Austrian data protection law.

For any privacy-related request, you can contact us at info@pianoprodigycompetition.com.

2. What data we collect

When you submit an application, we collect:

• Participant details: full name, date of birth, nationality, country of residence, email address, telephone number, music school (optional), teacher's name, and chosen competition category.
• Performance materials: the repertoire/programme you enter, a link to your performance video, and a participant photograph you upload.
• Parent/guardian details: the name, relationship, email, and telephone number of the participant's parent or legal guardian.
• Consents: a record of the consents you give (data processing and media usage), with a timestamp.
• Payment information: the registration fee is processed by our payment provider (Stripe). We do not receive or store your full card number — only confirmation of payment and limited transaction details.

3. Children's data and parental consent

The competition is open to young pianists, and many applicants are under 18. Where a participant is a minor, the application — and the consents within it — must be completed and given by the participant's parent or legal guardian. By submitting the form on behalf of a minor, the parent or guardian confirms they have the authority to provide the participant's data and to consent to its processing as described here.

4. Why we use your data and our legal basis

• To process your application and run the competition (reviewing entries, selecting finalists, organising the final round) — based on the performance of our agreement with you and your consent.
• To process your registration payment — based on contract and our legal obligations (e.g. accounting).
• To contact you about your application, results, and competition logistics — based on consent and legitimate interest.
• To publish results and, where you have agreed, competition media (e.g. finalist names, performance materials) — based on the media-usage consent you provide.

5. Who we share data with

We share personal data only as necessary to run the competition, with:

• The jury panel, to review applications and performance materials.
• Stripe, our payment processor, to take the registration fee. See Stripe's privacy policy at stripe.com/privacy.
• Our hosting and infrastructure providers, who store the application data securely on our behalf.

We do not sell your personal data, and we do not share it for advertising.

6. International transfers

Some of our service providers (such as Stripe) may process data outside the European Economic Area. Where this happens, we rely on appropriate safeguards (such as the European Commission's Standard Contractual Clauses) to protect your data.

7. How long we keep your data

We keep application data for as long as necessary to run the 2026 competition and to meet legal obligations (for example, payment and tax records). Application and participant data is retained until the end of the financial year following the competition, after which it is deleted or anonymised, unless a longer period is required by law.

8. Your rights

Under the GDPR, you (or the parent/guardian of a minor) have the right to:

• access the personal data we hold about you;
• request correction of inaccurate data;
• request erasure of your data ("right to be forgotten");
• object to or restrict certain processing;
• withdraw consent at any time (without affecting processing already carried out);
• request a copy of your data in a portable format.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at info@pianoprodigycompetition.com. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Austrian Data Protection Authority (Österreichische Datenschutzbehörde, dsb.gv.at).

9. Data security

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your data, including encrypted connections (HTTPS), restricted access to application data, and secure handling of uploaded photographs. Payment card details are handled directly by Stripe and never stored on our systems.

10. Cookies

Our website uses only the cookies necessary for it to function (for example, to keep the administrator login session secure). The Stripe payment page may set its own cookies as part of processing your payment, as described in Stripe's privacy policy.

11. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. The "last updated" date at the top shows when it was last revised. Significant changes will be communicated where appropriate.