Privacy Policy

Last updated: 19 June 2026. The International Restaurant Awards ("we", "us", "our") is committed to protecting the privacy of every chef, restaurateur, hospitality professional, partner and guest who engages with our awards programme. This Privacy Policy explains what personal information we collect, why we collect it, how we use and protect it, and the rights you hold over it. It applies to our website, our nomination and entry processes, our events, and all related correspondence. By submitting a nomination, registering for an event, or otherwise providing us with your details, you acknowledge the practices described here.

We have written this policy in plain language so that it is genuinely useful rather than merely compliant. If anything is unclear, you are welcome to contact us using the details at the foot of this page, and a member of our team will be glad to help.

Information We Collect

We collect only the information we need to administer the awards fairly and to communicate with you professionally. Depending on how you interact with us, this may include:

Identity and contact details — your name, the name of your restaurant or venue, your professional role or title, postal address, email address and telephone number.
Nomination and entry information — the cuisine, sector, region and country relevant to your entry, supporting statements, menus, photographs, press coverage and any other materials you choose to submit in support of a nomination.
Transaction information — billing details and records relating to entry fees or event tickets. Card payments are handled by our payment providers; we do not store full card numbers on our own systems.
Correspondence — the content of messages you send us by email, contact form or post, and our replies.
Technical and usage data — your IP address, browser type, device information and the pages you view on our site, collected automatically to keep the website secure and to understand how it is used.

Where you supply information about colleagues, team members or a venue you represent, you confirm that you have the authority to share those details with us for the purposes set out below.

How We Use Information

We use your personal information for clearly defined, legitimate purposes connected with running a credible international awards programme. Specifically, we use it to:

receive, verify and assess nominations and entries, and to administer our independent judging process;
communicate with you about your nomination, shortlisting decisions, results and ceremony arrangements;
process entry fees and event payments, and to issue receipts and invoices;
publish the names of winners, finalists and recognised venues across our website, in the past winners archive and in associated promotional material;
respond to your enquiries and provide support;
send programme updates, invitations and editorial news where you have opted to receive them; and
maintain the security, integrity and proper functioning of our website and services.

We rely on your consent, the performance of our agreement with you, and our legitimate interest in operating a respected awards programme as the lawful bases for this processing. You may withdraw marketing consent at any time without affecting the administration of an entry you have already submitted.

Guests and chefs gathered at an International Restaurant Awards ceremony

Cookies

Our website uses cookies and similar technologies to function correctly and to help us improve the experience we offer. Essential cookies enable core features such as page navigation and secure form submission, and cannot be switched off within our systems. We also use a small number of analytics cookies to understand, in aggregate, which pages are most useful to visitors so that we can refine our content about award categories and restaurant sectors.

You can control or delete cookies through your browser settings, and you can set most browsers to notify you when a cookie is being placed. Please note that disabling certain cookies may affect how parts of the site behave. We do not use cookies to build intrusive profiles or to sell information about your browsing habits.

Data Sharing

We treat your information with discretion and do not sell it to third parties. We share personal information only where it is necessary and appropriate, including with:

Our judges and assessors, who review entry materials in order to evaluate them fairly and independently;
Trusted service providers who act on our behalf — for example payment processors, email and hosting providers, and event venues — and who are bound to use the information only for the services they perform for us;
Professional advisers such as auditors and legal counsel where reasonably required; and
Authorities or regulators where we are obliged to do so by law or to protect our legal rights.

Information about winners and finalists is, by the nature of public recognition, published and may be reproduced by media partners. If you would prefer your contact details to remain confidential, you can tell us so when you submit your entry.

Data Security

We take the security of your information seriously and apply appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect it against loss, misuse, unauthorised access and disclosure. These measures include encrypted connections to our website, access controls that limit who within our team can view personal data, and careful selection of the suppliers who process information on our behalf.

No method of transmission over the internet or method of electronic storage is entirely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security. We do, however, review our safeguards regularly and act promptly should we ever become aware of a concern, including notifying you and the relevant authorities where the law requires it.

International Transfers

The International Restaurant Awards is administered from Dubai and serves chefs and venues across the world. As a result, your information may be transferred to, stored in, or processed in countries other than your own, including by service providers located outside your region. Where we transfer personal data internationally, we take steps to ensure that it continues to be protected to a standard consistent with this policy, using contractual safeguards and reputable providers.

Award trophies presented at an International Restaurant Awards evening

Your Rights

Depending on your location, you may have rights over the personal information we hold about you. These commonly include:

Access — to request a copy of the personal information we hold about you;
Correction — to ask us to correct information that is inaccurate or incomplete;
Erasure — to request deletion of your information where there is no overriding reason for us to retain it;
Objection and restriction — to object to, or ask us to limit, certain processing;
Portability — to receive certain information in a portable format; and
Withdrawal of consent — to opt out of marketing communications at any time.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details below. We may ask you to verify your identity before we act, and we will respond within the timeframe required by applicable law. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority.

Retention

We keep personal information only for as long as it is needed for the purposes for which it was collected, or as long as the law requires. Nomination and entry records are typically retained for the duration of the awards cycle and a reasonable period afterwards so that we can maintain an accurate historical record of recognised restaurants and chefs. Financial records are kept for the periods required by accounting and tax obligations. When information is no longer needed, we securely delete or anonymise it.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology or legal obligations. When we do, we will revise the date shown at the top of this page, and significant changes will be highlighted clearly on our website. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

Contact

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, or if you would like to exercise your rights, please write to us:

Email: awards@goldentreeawards.com
Address: Iris Bay Tower, Business Bay, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

You may also reach our team through the contact page, and you can read more about who we are on our about page.

A Few Common Questions

No. We never sell your personal information. We share it only with our judges, trusted service providers, and where the law requires, as described in the Data Sharing section above.

We publish the names of winners, finalists and recognised venues, but not your private contact details. If you would prefer additional confidentiality, please let us know when you submit your entry.

Every marketing email includes an unsubscribe link, or you can email awards@goldentreeawards.com at any time. This will not affect the administration of an entry you have already submitted.

Simply contact us at awards@goldentreeawards.com. We may ask you to confirm your identity and will respond within the timeframe required by applicable law.