Privacy Policy

About this Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how personal data is collected, used, stored and otherwise processed in connection with LOOP Design Awards, including our website, online platform, award entries, accounts, communications, Jury participation, purchases and related services.

We are committed to handling personal data responsibly and in accordance with applicable data protection law, including the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) where applicable.

This Policy should be read together with the Terms & Conditions.

Where this Policy refers to "LOOP", "we", "us" or "our", it means the entity responsible for operating LOOP Design Awards.

Who this Policy applies to

This Policy may apply to:

• website visitors;
• registered users;
• studio and organization members;
• award participants;
• project contributors whose information is included in submissions;
• purchasers of LOOP products or services;
• Jury members and invited Jury members;
• newsletter subscribers;
• people who contact LOOP; and
• other professional contacts.

The information we process depends on how you interact with LOOP.

Account information

When you create or use a LOOP account, we may process information such as:

• name;
• email address;
• account identifiers;
• organization or studio;
• professional information;
• country;
• account role and permissions; and
• account preferences.

Organization and team information

Where LOOP accounts are associated with a studio, company or other organization, we may process:

• organization name;
• organization members;
• member roles;
• professional contact information;
• organization-related projects and submissions; and
• account access and membership records.

Project and submission information

When a project is created or submitted to LOOP, we may process information contained in the entry, including:

• project title;
• project description;
• location;
• discipline and category;
• studio or organization;
• names and professional credits of project contributors;
• photographer and other creative credits;
• images;
• videos or video links;
• drawings and other project material;
• submission history;
• submission status; and
• other information supplied as part of the entry.

Some project information is intended for publication where a project receives public recognition.

Jury information

For Jury members and invited Jury members, we may process information such as:

• name;
• email address;
• professional title;
• studio or company;
• country;
• biography;
• portrait;
• website and professional social links where supplied;
• Jury edition participation;
• invitation and profile-completion status; and
• administrative records relating to Jury participation.

Where LOOP later operates an online judging system, additional information relating to Jury assignments, evaluations or related activity may be processed. This Policy does not imply that such future judging functionality is currently active.

Purchase and transaction information

When you purchase nomination credits, Premium Features, trophies or other LOOP products or services, we may process:

• purchaser identity;
• organization;
• order information;
• products or services purchased;
• amount and currency;
• transaction status;
• payment-provider references;
• refund information;
• billing information where applicable; and
• records necessary for accounting, fraud prevention and customer support.

Payment-card information is processed by the relevant payment provider or Merchant of Record where applicable. LOOP does not store full payment-card details, and payment credentials are not exposed through the LOOP application.

Communications

If you contact LOOP, we may process:

• your name;
• email address;
• organization;
• the content of your message;
• support requests; and
• our correspondence with you.

Newsletter and marketing information

Where you subscribe to LOOP communications, we may process:

• email address;
• name where provided;
• subscription status;
• consent records;
• communication preferences; and
• engagement information where provided by the communication service.

Marketing communications provide an appropriate way to unsubscribe.

Technical and security information

When you use the LOOP website or platform, certain technical information may be processed automatically, such as:

• IP address;
• browser and device information;
• timestamps;
• pages or features accessed;
• authentication events;
• security events;
• error and diagnostic information; and
• other information necessary to operate and secure the platform.

How we collect information

We may collect information:

• directly from you;
• through your LOOP account;
• when your organization adds you as a member;
• when a project or submission identifies you as a contributor;
• through purchases and payment providers;
• when you contact us;
• through Jury invitations and profile forms;
• through newsletter subscriptions;
• automatically when the website or platform is used; and
• from historical LOOP records where necessary to maintain the awards archive and previous participation records.

We may process personal data for purposes including:

• creating and managing accounts;
• managing organizations and team access;
• receiving and administering award submissions;
• communicating about entries and deadlines;
• administering nomination credits and purchased services;
• processing orders, payments and refunds;
• administering Jury participation;
• evaluating entries;
• publishing award results;
• maintaining the historical LOOP archive;
• publishing recognized projects and studio profiles;
• issuing certificates or managing trophies where applicable;
• providing customer support;
• sending requested newsletters and communications;
• maintaining website and platform security;
• preventing fraud, abuse and unauthorized access;
• diagnosing technical problems;
• maintaining appropriate financial and administrative records;
• complying with legal obligations; and
• establishing, exercising or defending legal claims.

Where the GDPR applies, LOOP processes personal data only where an appropriate legal basis exists. Depending on the circumstances, this may include:

Performance of a contract

Processing may be necessary to:

• create and administer your account;
• process an award entry;
• provide purchased nomination credits or services;
• process transactions;
• administer Jury participation where applicable; or
• provide another service you have requested.

Legitimate interests

LOOP may process information where reasonably necessary for legitimate interests such as:

• operating and improving the awards programme;
• maintaining the integrity of historical results;
• providing and securing the platform;
• preventing fraud and misuse;
• communicating essential service information;
• maintaining business and administrative records; and
• protecting LOOP's legal rights.

Where we rely on legitimate interests, we consider the impact on the rights and interests of the individuals concerned.

Consent

We may rely on consent where required, including for certain:

• marketing communications;
• non-essential cookies or analytics technologies;
• testimonials; or
• other optional uses of personal information.

Where processing is based on consent, consent may be withdrawn for future processing.

Legal obligation

We may process or retain information where necessary to comply with legal, tax, accounting, regulatory or other applicable obligations.

Public project and award information

LOOP is an awards programme and publication of recognized work is an important part of its operation.

Where a project receives published recognition, selected information may be made publicly available, including:

• project title;
• studio or organization;
• project location;
• project description;
• images and other approved project material;
• professional project credits;
• award edition;
• category;
• recognition received; and
• associated public studio information.

Published recognized projects may remain in the LOOP historical archive after the relevant edition has ended.

Private account information, payment information and personal contact details are not part of the public project archive.

Professional credits and third-party information

Project submissions may contain names and professional information relating to architects, designers, photographers, consultants, team members and other contributors.

Participants are responsible for providing accurate project credits and, where required, ensuring they have an appropriate basis for supplying this information to LOOP.

LOOP uses this information for purposes connected with administering, evaluating, crediting and publishing the submitted project.

Jury profiles

Invited Jury members may be asked to provide professional profile information.

Before publication, Jury profile information and portrait material remain restricted to the relevant administrative/profile workflow.

Submitting a Jury profile does not automatically make it public.

Where a Jury profile is approved and intentionally published by LOOP, public information may include:

• name;
• professional title;
• studio or company;
• country;
• biography;
• portrait;
• website or professional social links where supplied for publication; and
• Jury edition participation.

Jury email addresses and invitation credentials are not published.

Jury invitation links

LOOP may provide invited Jury members with private links allowing them to complete or update their Jury profile.

These links may contain secure credentials associated with a specific invitation.

Recipients should keep such links confidential.

LOOP may expire, revoke or replace an invitation link where necessary.

Invitation credentials are used only for the profile workflow to which they relate and do not provide general LOOP account or administrative access.

Payments

Payments may be processed by a third-party payment provider or Merchant of Record.

The payment provider may independently process information required to:

• authorize payments;
• prevent fraud;
• calculate or administer applicable taxes;
• process refunds; and
• provide legally required transaction documentation.

LOOP may receive transaction references, status information, amounts and other information necessary to reconcile and administer purchases.

LOOP does not need full payment-card details to administer orders where those details are handled by the payment provider.

Service providers

LOOP may use carefully selected service providers to help operate the website and awards programme. These may include providers of:

• hosting and infrastructure;
• database and file storage;
• authentication;
• payment processing or Merchant-of-Record services;
• transactional email;
• newsletter delivery;
• security and fraud prevention;
• analytics, where enabled;
• technical monitoring; and
• other services necessary to operate LOOP.

These providers may process personal data only as necessary for the services they provide and subject to applicable contractual and legal requirements.

Sharing of information

LOOP does not sell personal contact information to third parties.

We may disclose personal data where reasonably necessary:

• to service providers acting on our behalf;
• to payment providers or a Merchant of Record;
• to professional advisers;
• to competent authorities where legally required;
• to protect against fraud, abuse or security threats;
• to establish, exercise or defend legal claims; or
• where otherwise permitted or required by law.

Project-related information intended for publication may also be shared through LOOP's website, communications, press activity, publications and other award-related channels in accordance with the Terms & Conditions. Publication of an awarded project is not a sale of personal data.

International data transfers

LOOP operates internationally and some service providers may process personal data outside the country in which the user is located.

Where personal data protected by the GDPR or other applicable data protection law is transferred internationally, LOOP will use an appropriate legal mechanism where required. Depending on the destination and provider, this may include:

• an adequacy decision;
• Standard Contractual Clauses;
• another legally recognized transfer mechanism; or
• another lawful safeguard.

Cookies and similar technologies

LOOP may use cookies and similar technologies required for:

• authentication;
• security;
• session management;
• preferences; and
• essential website functionality.

Non-essential technologies, such as certain analytics or marketing cookies, are only used in accordance with applicable consent requirements. Where required, users are provided with appropriate cookie controls.

Analytics

Where LOOP uses analytics services, they may process technical and usage information to help us understand website performance and improve the service.

Where required by law, non-essential analytics are activated only after the appropriate user choice or consent.

Data retention

LOOP retains personal data only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes for which it was collected and to satisfy applicable legal, accounting, security and reporting requirements. Different types of information may therefore have different retention periods. For example:

• account information may be retained while the account is active and for an appropriate period afterwards;
• transaction and financial records may be retained as required by applicable law;
• security and technical records may be retained for an appropriate operational period;
• Jury invitation information may be retained as necessary to administer Jury participation;
• support correspondence may be retained where necessary to resolve issues or maintain appropriate records.

Historical LOOP records

The LOOP platform contains records from previous award editions.

Historical records may include:

• participant accounts;
• studios;
• projects;
• submissions;
• results;
• project credits;
• Jury information;
• purchases and transaction history; and
• other records necessary to preserve the history and administration of previous editions.

Some historical records may be retained to:

• maintain accurate award results;
• preserve the public archive;
• resolve administrative questions;
• maintain financial records;
• prevent duplication or misuse; or
• comply with legal obligations.

Historical financial records do not automatically represent current spendable credits or active purchases.

Award results and recognized project information may be retained for a longer period or permanently as part of the public historical LOOP archive. Deletion of an account does not necessarily require deletion of published historical award records where LOOP has an appropriate lawful basis for maintaining the integrity of the archive.

Security measures

LOOP uses appropriate technical and organizational measures designed to protect personal data against unauthorized access, loss, misuse, alteration or disclosure. Measures may include, as appropriate:

• encrypted communications;
• access controls;
• role-based permissions;
• authentication controls;
• private storage for non-public material;
• logging and security monitoring;
• restricted administrative access; and
• secure payment processing through specialized providers.

No internet-based service can guarantee absolute security.

Data breaches

Where a personal-data breach occurs, LOOP will assess the incident and take appropriate action in accordance with applicable data-protection law.

Where legally required, LOOP will notify the relevant supervisory authority and/or affected individuals within the applicable legal requirements and timeframes.

Your data protection rights

Depending on the law applicable to you, you may have rights concerning your personal data. Under the GDPR, these may include the right to:

• access your personal data;
• correct inaccurate personal data;
• request deletion of personal data in certain circumstances;
• restrict processing in certain circumstances;
• object to certain processing;
• receive certain personal data in a portable format;
• withdraw consent where processing is based on consent; and
• lodge a complaint with a competent supervisory authority.

These rights are not absolute and may be subject to legal exceptions.

For example, a request to erase personal data may not require LOOP to delete information that must be retained for legal obligations or where another lawful basis permits continued processing.

Requests may be submitted using the official privacy contact details published by LOOP.

Account deletion and public award records

Where account deletion is available, deleting an account may remove or restrict access to account-specific information.

However, deletion of an account does not automatically remove:

• official award results;
• recognized project pages;
• professional project credits;
• historical studio attribution; or
• transaction records that LOOP is legally required or otherwise lawfully entitled to retain.

Requests concerning inaccurate public award information may be submitted to LOOP for review.

Marketing communications

LOOP may send marketing communications where there is an appropriate legal basis.

Where consent is required, LOOP will obtain consent before sending those communications.

Recipients may unsubscribe from marketing communications using the unsubscribe mechanism provided in the message or through another available preference mechanism.

Unsubscribing from marketing does not necessarily prevent LOOP from sending essential service communications concerning:

• your account;
• an active submission;
• a purchase;
• security;
• Jury participation; or
• other services you have requested.

Testimonials

Where LOOP publishes a testimonial attributed to an identifiable person, appropriate permission is obtained where required. Testimonial information is used for the purposes for which permission was provided.

Social media and external links

The LOOP website may contain links to social networks and other external websites.

When you follow an external link, the relevant third party may process information according to its own privacy practices. LOOP is not responsible for the privacy practices of independent external websites.

Children

LOOP Design Awards is a professional awards programme and is not directed at children. We do not knowingly seek to collect personal data from children through the awards platform.

If LOOP becomes aware that personal data relating to a child has been provided inappropriately, appropriate steps will be taken in accordance with applicable law.

Automated decision-making

Award recognition decisions are not made solely by automated processing. If materially significant automated decision-making is introduced in the future, this Policy will be reviewed.

Changes to this Privacy Policy

LOOP may update this Privacy Policy to reflect changes in:

• the platform;
• awards operations;
• service providers;
• legal requirements; or
• data-processing practices.

The current version and date of the latest update will be published on this page.

Where required, material changes will be communicated through an appropriate channel.

Contact

Questions about this Privacy Policy or requests concerning personal data may be sent to:

LOOP Design Awards

Supervisory authority

Where the GDPR applies, individuals also have the right to lodge a complaint with the competent data-protection supervisory authority.