Privacy Policy

Information may be collected when participants:

• Submit a book

• Nominate a title

• Participate in voting

• Contact the awards organizer

Collected information may include:

• Author names

• Book titles

• Publication details

• Email addresses

• Social media handles (if voluntarily provided)

• Voting activity data

Only information relevant to awards administration is collected.

Collected data is used exclusively for awards-related purposes, including:

• Submission processing

• Nomination tracking

• Eligibility verification

• Voting administration

• Finalist and winner announcements

• Participant communications

Information is not used for unrelated marketing or external campaigns.

The BookTok Indie Author Awards do not sell, rent, trade, or distribute participant data to third parties.

Information provided by authors, nominees, or voters will never be shared for:

• Commercial marketing

• Advertising partnerships

• Mailing list resale

• External promotional use

Limited data processing may occur through trusted service providers strictly for awards operations (such as form hosting or website infrastructure), but no participant data is shared beyond operational necessity.

Submission and nomination forms are hosted via third-party form platforms (such as Tally).

These platforms collect and store submitted data securely on behalf of the awards for administrative review.

Participants should review the privacy policies of these platforms for additional details regarding data handling at the form-processing level.

Voting systems may collect limited activity data to ensure fair participation.

This may include:

• Vote timestamps

• IP pattern monitoring

• Device/browser indicators

This data is used solely to detect:

• Bot voting

• Duplicate voting

• Coordinated manipulation

Voting data is not used for marketing, profiling, or resale.

Certain submission details may be displayed publicly as part of the awards process, including:

• Book titles

• Author names

• Cover images

• Category placements

• Finalist and winner announcements

This information is considered public-facing promotional content related to the awards.

Private contact data (such as email addresses) is never displayed publicly.

Participant data is retained only as long as necessary to:

• Administer the awards

• Verify eligibility

• Maintain voting records

• Preserve historical awards archives

Data no longer required for operational or archival purposes may be deleted at organizer discretion.

Reasonable administrative and technical safeguards are implemented to protect collected data from:

• Unauthorized access

• Disclosure

• Alteration

• Misuse

While no online system can guarantee absolute security, the awards operate in good faith to protect participant information.

Participants may request:

• Removal of submission data

• Correction of inaccurate information

• Withdrawal from awards participation

Requests must be submitted via the official awards contact email.

The BookTok Indie Author Awards are not directed toward minors under the age of 18.

Personal data from individuals under 18 is not knowingly collected without appropriate parental or guardian involvement.

Authors under the age of 18 may participate and submit eligible works; however, a parent or legal guardian email address must be provided at the time of submission.

By submitting on behalf of a minor, the parent or guardian acknowledges and consents to:

• The minor’s participation in the awards

• The collection of submission-related information

• Public display of eligible book information if selected as a finalist or winner

If personal data is identified as having been submitted by a minor without parental or guardian consent, the submission and associated data may be removed.

This Privacy Policy may be updated if operational or legal requirements change.

Updates will be posted on the official awards website.

Continued participation constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.