Privacy Policy

Tech South West Awards 2026 - Last updated March 2026

1. Who We Are

Tech South West operates the annual TSW Awards. We are the data controller for personal data collected through this platform.

2. What Data We Collect

When you submit an entry, we collect: your name, email address, company information, entry descriptions, supporting materials, and optional diversity data. For judges, we collect name, email, and scoring data.

3. How We Use Your Data

Your data is used to: process your awards entry, share with judges for evaluation, generate anonymised ecosystem insights and reports, communicate about your entry status, and (with separate consent) send marketing communications about future events.

4. AI Processing

We use AI (powered by Anthropic Claude) to generate entry summaries, suggest categories, and provide feedback. Your entry text is processed by the AI but is not used to train AI models. AI-generated outputs are reviewed by human judges.

5. Data Sharing

Your data is shared with: appointed judges (who are bound by confidentiality), our hosting provider (Neon/Vercel), and email provider (Resend). Anonymised, aggregated data may appear in ecosystem reports shared with sponsors. We never sell your personal data.

6. Data Retention

Entry data is retained for up to 3 years to support historical trend analysis. After 3 years, personal data is anonymised or deleted. You can request earlier deletion at any time.

7. Your Rights

Under GDPR, you have the right to: access your data, correct inaccurate data, request deletion, restrict processing, data portability, and object to processing. To exercise any of these rights, email privacy@techsouthwest.co.uk or use the data export/deletion tools on this platform.

8. Security

Your data is stored in an encrypted PostgreSQL database, transmitted over HTTPS, and access is restricted by role-based controls. Judges can only see entries assigned to their categories.

9. Cookies

This platform uses essential session cookies for authentication. We do not use advertising or tracking cookies.

10. Contact

For any privacy concerns, contact: privacy@techsouthwest.co.uk