Privacy policy

Introduction & scope

Awwwarded is a platform for recognizing and showcasing the best websites on the internet. This Privacy Policy explains what personal data we collect, why we collect it, how we protect it, and the choices available to you.

It applies whenever you visit awwwarded.com, create an account, submit a website, apply to the jury, subscribe to a plan, or contact us — whether you are a visitor, a creator, a jury member, or an award winner.

Information you provide to us

Account details: your name, username, and email address. Your password is stored in a hashed form and is never visible to anyone, including our team.

Profile details: everything you choose to add — avatar, hero image, bio, professional role, location, website, social links, languages, availability, and budget range. Your public profile is visible to everyone, so share only what you are comfortable publishing.

Submission details: the titles, URLs, descriptions, categories, images, technologies, colors, and collaborator credits you provide for each website you submit, together with any evaluation results that follow.

Jury application details: if you apply to join the jury, we receive your portfolio URL, a short bio, a headshot, and any professional details you choose to include.

Billing details: your plan and payment status. Card numbers and other payment credentials are handled entirely by our payment provider and are never stored on our systems.

Messages: the content of any message you send through the contact page, together with your name and email address.

Jury identity & published scores

Jury scores form a permanent public record: when a submission is published or receives an award, the evaluating jury member's name, profile, avatar, and per-criteria scores appear on that site's public page. This attribution is intentional — it keeps every award transparent and verifiable.

This publication is disclosed when you apply to join the panel. If you would prefer not to be identified publicly, contact us and we will discuss the available options with you.

Information collected automatically

When you use the service, our hosting infrastructure may process standard technical information — such as your IP address, browser type, device information, and the time of your request — strictly to deliver the site securely and reliably.

We keep limited operational records as well, such as email delivery logs and error records, which help us operate the service and investigate incidents. We do not use any of this information to build advertising profiles.

How we use your information

To operate the platform: publishing your public profile and submissions, moderating entries, distributing evaluation work, granting awards, and issuing certificates.

To keep you informed: transactional emails about submission status, evaluation results, awards, billing receipts, and renewal reminders.

To run the business: managing subscriptions and payments, answering requests sent through the contact page, and meeting our legal and accounting obligations.

To protect the service: detecting fraud, abuse, and security threats, and enforcing our Terms.

Legal bases for processing

Where data protection law requires a legal basis, we rely on: performance of our contract with you (accounts, submissions, and subscriptions); compliance with our legal obligations (such as accounting and tax records); our legitimate interests (securing the platform, preventing abuse, and improving the service); and your consent where we specifically ask for it.

When we share information

We work with a small number of service providers for hosting, database and authentication infrastructure, payment processing, and transactional email. Each provider is contractually bound to process data only on our behalf, only for the purpose of delivering its service to Awwwarded, and under appropriate confidentiality and security obligations.

We may also disclose information where the law requires it, where it is necessary to protect our rights or the safety of others, or in connection with a reorganisation of the business — in which case this policy continues to apply to your data.

Links to other websites

Our pages link out to external sites — submissions, creator portfolios, and clearly marked Promoted placements (some of which may be affiliate links). When you follow such a link you leave Awwwarded; the destination site collects and uses data under its own privacy policy, and we pass no personal data to it beyond the address of the page you clicked.

International transfers

Our service providers may process data in countries other than yours. Where that happens, we require appropriate safeguards — such as contractual data-protection commitments — so that your data keeps a comparable level of protection wherever it is processed.

What we never do

We do not sell or rent your personal data. We do not run advertising trackers on this site, and we do not sign you up for marketing newsletters.

Retention & deletion

Account data is kept for as long as your account is active. You can delete your account at any time from your settings — your profile, submission history, and personal data are removed with it.

Rejected submissions are permanently removed thirty days after the decision. Messages sent through the contact page are kept for as long as needed to handle your request and any follow-up.

Some records — such as invoices and payment confirmations — must be kept for the period required by applicable accounting and tax rules, even after an account is closed.

Security

We protect your data with encryption in transit, hashed credentials, and restricted internal access. No payment card data is ever stored on our systems.

Access to personal data inside Awwwarded is limited to what each role needs to operate the service. If we ever become aware of a security incident affecting your data, we will inform you and the relevant authorities as required by law.

Cookies

We use only strictly essential cookies — see the Cookies Policy for the full list and how to manage them.

Your rights

You can access, correct, or delete your personal data at any time from your dashboard settings, and you can contact us for anything the dashboard does not cover — including questions about how your data is used.

If you believe we have handled your data incorrectly, you have the right to raise the matter with us and, where applicable, with your local data-protection authority.

Children

The service is not intended for children, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from children. If you believe a child has created an account, contact us and we will remove the account and its data promptly.

External links

Awwwarded showcases websites created by others. When you follow a link to a submitted website or any other external destination, you leave our platform and that site’s own privacy policy applies. We are not responsible for the practices of external websites.

Changes to this policy

If our practices change, this page is updated and the revision date below reflects it. Material changes will also be communicated through the service.

Contact

For any privacy request or question, reach us through the contact page. We aim to respond promptly and, where the law sets a deadline for a request, within the timeframe it requires.