Privacy and Payment Policy

Our role and the competition organizer's role

StylingFX LLC is responsible for operating Smarter Entry accounts, platform support, security, and the service itself. When you register for a competition or event, the organization running that event determines how it uses your registration and submission information for that event. Smarter Entry provides the organization with the platform it uses to administer registrations, submissions, notifications, judging, accepted work, awards, and related event activities. An organization may provide additional privacy terms for its event.

Information we collect

• Account and profile information: name, email address, telephone numbers, mailing address, business name, website, profile image, and account information supplied during registration or profile updates.
• Competition and submission information: event registrations, artwork and other submitted images, documents, video links, titles, descriptions, categories, statements, biographies, and related entry details.
• Transaction information: competitions selected, amounts, payment status, receipts, discounts, and transaction identifiers. Smarter Entry does not receive or store your full payment-card number or card security code.
• Technical and usage information: IP address and request information, browser type and version, operating system, user-agent information, cookies, and analytics about how the service is used.
• Communications: information you provide when requesting support or communicating with Smarter Entry or an event organization through the service.

How information is used

Information is used to create and secure accounts; process event registrations, submissions, and payments; provide customer support; send service and competition notifications; allow organizations to administer their events; prevent abuse and fraud; diagnose technical issues; maintain and improve Smarter Entry; and comply with legal obligations.

How information is disclosed

Registration and submission information is made available to the organization running an event when you register for that event. We also disclose information to service providers as needed to operate Smarter Entry, including Stripe for payment processing, Microsoft Azure for cloud storage, email and technical service providers, and Google Analytics for usage analytics. These providers process information under their own terms and privacy notices.

Information may also be disclosed when reasonably necessary to comply with law, protect users or the service, investigate fraud or security concerns, enforce agreements, or complete a merger, financing, acquisition, or sale of all or part of the business. StylingFX LLC does not sell registration or competition information for money.

Payments

Payments are processed by Stripe through its secure payment services. Full card details are submitted directly to Stripe and are not seen or stored by StylingFX LLC, Smarter Entry, or the organization running the event. Smarter Entry receives limited transaction information such as the amount, payment status, receipt information, and identifiers needed to associate a payment with a registration. Stripe's handling of payment information is governed by its own privacy policy.

Cookies and analytics

Smarter Entry uses essential cookies for login, security, sessions, registration-cart functions, and remembering your cookie choice. With your permission, the service also uses Google Analytics cookies and similar technology to understand site usage and improve the service. Google may receive online identifiers, device information, and usage information. You can control cookies through your browser, but blocking essential cookies may prevent login or other core features from working. You can change your analytics choice through Cookie settings.

Retention and deletion

Smarter Entry does not use one fixed retention period for every type of information. Information may be retained while an account is active and afterward for as long as reasonably needed to provide the service, administer competitions, maintain transaction and business records, resolve disputes, prevent fraud, enforce agreements, and meet legal obligations. Event organizations may have their own retention requirements for competition records.

You may ask us to delete your personal information by contacting support@smarterentry.com. We may need to verify your identity. Some information may be retained when required for legal, payment, accounting, fraud-prevention, security, or event-record purposes. Residual copies may remain in backups until they are overwritten in the ordinary course. If an event organization controls the requested information, we may direct you to that organization.

Your choices and privacy rights

You can review and update profile information through your account. You may also request access to, correction of, or deletion of personal information by emailing us. Depending on where you live, you may have additional rights concerning use, disclosure, portability, restriction, objection, or withdrawal of consent. We will respond to verified requests as required by applicable law. You may also contact the organization running a competition about information it controls for that event.

Security

We use administrative and technical safeguards designed to protect personal information, including encrypted web connections, authenticated accounts, access controls, upload protections, and Stripe-hosted payment processing. No internet service or storage system can be guaranteed completely secure.

Children under 13

Smarter Entry is not directed to children under 13, and a child under 13 may not create an account. A parent or legal guardian must create and manage the account and submit entries on the child's behalf. Parents and guardians should provide only the information required for the applicable event. Contact us if you believe a child under 13 created an account without appropriate parental involvement.

International users

Information may be processed in the United States and in other countries where Smarter Entry's service providers operate. Privacy laws in those countries may differ from the laws where you live. Where applicable law provides privacy rights, you may contact us to exercise them. Users in the European Economic Area or United Kingdom may also have the right to complain to their local data-protection authority.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy as the service or legal requirements change. The date at the top identifies the current version. Material changes will be communicated through the service or by another reasonable method when required.