Privacy Policy

Intercontinental Music Competition for Youth – European Stage
Last updated: 20 August 2026

1. General Information

This Privacy Policy explains how personal data is collected, used, stored and otherwise processed in connection with the Intercontinental Music Competition for Youth – European Stage (“ICMC Europe”, “Competition”), including through the website icmceurope.com, the Competition registration platform, participant accounts and related Competition services.

The Competition is organised by:

Art VIDI – Artistische Vereinigung zur Integration Diverser Identitäten
ZVR: 1842523698
Vienna, Austria
Email: [insert official email address]

For the purposes of the General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (“GDPR”), Art VIDI acts as the data controller unless otherwise stated.

This Privacy Policy applies to participants, applicants, parents or legal guardians, ensemble members and other persons whose personal data is processed in connection with the Competition.

2. Personal Data We Collect

Depending on the Competition category, registration process and use of the platform, we may collect and process the following categories of personal data.

2.1 Registration and Identification Data

This may include:

• first name;
• last name;
• date of birth;
• age category;
• country;
• postal address;
• ZIP/postal code;
• email address;
• mobile telephone number;
• Competition Participant ID (“CP ID”);
• account and login information;
• password information in securely protected form;
• selected Competition, music category and age category;
• application and participation status.

2.2 Competition and Performance Data

We may process information necessary for participation in and administration of the Competition, including:

• repertoire information;
• composer and work information;
• performance duration;
• Competition category;
• ensemble information;
• names, email addresses and CP IDs of ensemble members;
• ensemble participation confirmations;
• submitted YouTube URLs or other authorised performance links;
• jury evaluations, scores, rankings and comments;
• qualification and advancement status;
• Competition results;
• awards and prizes;
• information necessary for participation in the Final Gala Concert or other Competition activities;
• photographs, audio recordings and video recordings created during official Competition activities;
• media consent status and, where applicable, parental or legal guardian authorisation.

2.3 Payment and Transaction Information

Competition fees may be processed through third-party payment providers, including Stripe.

ICMC Europe may receive and retain transaction-related information such as:

• payment status;
• transaction or payment reference;
• amount paid;
• currency;
• payment date;
• payment confirmation;
• refund status, where applicable.

ICMC Europe does not normally receive or store complete credit or debit card numbers, CVC/CVV codes or equivalent full payment credentials. Such information is processed by the relevant payment provider.

2.4 Technical and Security Data

When the website or Competition platform is used, certain technical information may be processed automatically, including:

• IP address;
• browser and device information;
• operating system;
• login activity;
• timestamps;
• authentication and verification information;
• security, technical, system and error logs.

Such information may be processed where necessary for operation, authentication, security, troubleshooting, fraud prevention and protection of the Competition platform.

3. Purposes and Legal Bases of Processing

3.1 Competition Registration and Participation

Personal data may be processed to:

• register applicants;
• create and manage participant accounts;
• determine the applicable age category;
• identify participants;
• verify eligibility;
• administer Competition categories;
• manage ensemble registrations and confirmations;
• process Competition fees;
• communicate with participants;
• provide submitted performances to authorised jury members;
• administer jury evaluation;
• calculate and communicate Competition results;
• determine qualification for subsequent rounds;
• administer awards;
• organise participation in the Final Gala Concert;
• provide certificates and other Competition-related documentation.

Where such processing is necessary to register for or participate in the Competition, the legal basis is Article 6(1)(b) GDPR — processing necessary for the performance of a contract or in order to take steps at the request of the data subject prior to entering into a contract.

3.2 Legal Obligations

Certain information may be processed or retained where necessary to comply with accounting, taxation, regulatory or other legal obligations.

The legal basis is Article 6(1)(c) GDPR.

3.3 Legitimate Interests

Where appropriate, ICMC Europe may process personal data on the basis of legitimate interests pursuant to Article 6(1)(f) GDPR, including for:

• maintaining the integrity and fairness of the Competition;
• preventing fraudulent, duplicate or unauthorised registrations;
• maintaining platform and account security;
• documenting Competition procedures and confirmations;
• investigating technical or administrative issues;
• protecting the Competition against misuse;
• establishing, exercising or defending legal claims;
• maintaining appropriate records of Competition decisions and results.

3.4 Consent

Where a processing activity is not necessary for Competition participation and no other legal basis applies, ICMC Europe may request consent.

This applies in particular where consent is required for certain promotional uses of photographs, audio recordings, video recordings or other identifiable media material.

Where processing is based on consent, consent may be withdrawn at any time with effect for the future. Withdrawal does not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before consent was withdrawn.

4. Participants Under 18

The Competition is open to children and young people.

Where a participant is a minor, personal data may be submitted or managed by a parent, legal guardian or another person duly authorised to act on behalf of the participant.

Where consent is relied upon as the legal basis for processing personal data of a minor and applicable law requires parental or legal guardian authorisation, such authorisation must be provided accordingly.

ICMC Europe may request reasonable evidence of parental or legal guardian authorisation where necessary.

A parent, legal guardian or other person submitting information concerning a minor is responsible for ensuring that they are authorised to provide the relevant information and to act on behalf of the minor where required.

Personal data necessary for registration, administration and participation in the Competition may be processed on another applicable legal basis and does not necessarily depend upon consent.

5. Participant Accounts and CP IDs

Registered participants may receive a unique Competition Participant ID (“CP ID”) and access to a participant account.

The CP ID may be used to identify the participant within the Competition platform and, where applicable, to support anonymous or pseudonymous jury evaluation.

Participants are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of their login credentials and preventing unauthorised access to their accounts.

Passwords are protected using appropriate technical security measures and are not intended to be stored in plain text.

Participants must promptly notify ICMC Europe if they become aware of suspected unauthorised access to their account.

6. Email Verification and Ensemble Confirmation

For certain Competition categories, particularly duet and trio categories, ICMC Europe may use email verification procedures to confirm participation and associate individual participants with an ensemble application.

A primary applicant may provide the email addresses of additional ensemble members for the purpose of initiating the required confirmation procedure.

ICMC Europe may send an automated verification email to each additional ensemble member. The recipient may be required to follow a verification link, identify themselves through their participant account or CP ID and expressly confirm participation in the relevant ensemble.

Email addresses and verification information may be processed for:

• participant identification;
• confirmation of ensemble participation;
• prevention of incorrect or unauthorised registrations;
• administration of the Competition;
• documentation that the required confirmation procedure was completed.

The primary applicant is responsible for entering the correct email address for each additional ensemble member and for ensuring that they are authorised to provide such contact information for Competition registration.

Each additional ensemble member is responsible for providing or confirming the correct CP ID and completing the required verification procedure.

To the extent permitted by applicable law, ICMC Europe is not responsible for delays, failed confirmations or incomplete applications resulting from incorrect email addresses or CP IDs supplied by users, expired verification links, spam filtering, email-provider restrictions, failure to complete verification within the applicable deadline, or other circumstances outside ICMC Europe's reasonable control.

Verification links may be time-limited for security and administrative purposes.

Verification records, including confirmation status and relevant timestamps, may be retained as part of the Competition registration record.

7. Performance Videos and External Video Platforms

Participants may be required to provide a YouTube URL or another authorised link to a performance recording.

Where a recording is hosted by a third-party service such as YouTube, the video itself remains hosted by that provider and is subject to that provider's terms, privacy policies and technical practices.

Submitted performance links and information necessary for evaluation may be made available to authorised jury members and Competition personnel.

Participants are responsible for ensuring that they have the necessary rights and permissions to record, upload, host and share submitted performance material and that the submitted recording can lawfully be accessed for Competition evaluation.

ICMC Europe does not control the independent data-processing practices, privacy settings, availability or security of third-party video-hosting platforms and, to the extent permitted by applicable law, is not responsible for their independent acts or omissions.

8. Media, Photography, Video and Publicity

In connection with the Competition, including the Final Gala Concert, award ceremonies and other official Competition activities, ICMC Europe may create photographs, video recordings, audio recordings and other audiovisual materials featuring participants.

Such materials may be used, where legally permitted and where the required consent has been obtained, for purposes including:

• documenting the Competition and its activities;
• publication on the official ICMC Europe website;
• publication on ICMC Europe's official social media channels;
• promotion and presentation of current and future editions of the Competition;
• press, public relations and media communications;
• Competition reports, announcements and promotional materials;
• archival and historical documentation of the Competition.

Media materials published online may be accessible worldwide, including in countries outside the European Economic Area.

Where the publication or promotional use of a participant's image, voice, name, performance or other identifiable media material requires consent, ICMC Europe will rely on the participant's consent or, where required for a minor, the consent or authorisation of the participant's parent or legal guardian.

Consent to promotional media use is voluntary and is not a condition of participation in the Competition unless a particular recording or publication is inherently necessary for a specific publicly announced Competition activity.

Where processing is based on consent, consent may be withdrawn at any time with effect for the future by contacting ICMC Europe.

Withdrawal does not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before consent was withdrawn.

Following a valid withdrawal, ICMC Europe will cease new uses of the relevant identifiable media material based solely on that consent and will take reasonable steps to remove such material from channels under its direct control where legally required and reasonably practicable.

Complete removal from the internet cannot always be guaranteed once material has been lawfully published, shared, downloaded, reproduced, indexed, cached or otherwise made available by third parties outside ICMC Europe's control.

To the extent permitted by applicable law, ICMC Europe is not responsible for independent copying, sharing, republication, downloading or other use of lawfully published material by third parties over whom ICMC Europe has no control.

9. Competition Results and Public Recognition

ICMC Europe may publish information concerning official Competition results, awards and achievements where permitted by applicable law.

Such information may include:

• participant's name;
• Competition category;
• age category or age group;
• country;
• award, placement or Competition result;
• authorised photograph or performance material, where applicable.

Such publication may serve the legitimate purposes of announcing and documenting Competition results, recognising participants and maintaining an official record of the Competition, subject to applicable law and appropriate consideration of the rights and interests of participants, particularly minors.

Withdrawal of optional promotional media consent does not automatically require deletion of official Competition records or results where their continued processing is based on another lawful basis.

10. Final Gala and Public Events

Participants and their parents or legal guardians should be aware that the Final Gala Concert and other announced Competition activities may take place in public venues and may be photographed, filmed or recorded.

Where ICMC Europe itself uses identifiable recordings of individual participants for promotional or marketing purposes, the applicable consent and data-protection requirements described in this Privacy Policy apply.

Independent audience members, press representatives, venue personnel or other third parties may in some circumstances create or publish recordings independently of ICMC Europe.

To the extent permitted by applicable law, ICMC Europe is not responsible for independent acts of third parties over whom it has no control.

11. Jury Evaluation and Anonymity

Performance materials may be made available to authorised Competition jury members for evaluation.

Where anonymous or pseudonymous evaluation is used, ICMC Europe seeks to minimise identifying information provided to jury members.

Depending on the Competition procedure, jury members may receive:

• CP ID or another Competition identifier;
• Competition category;
• age category;
• repertoire information;
• performance video or video link;
• other information reasonably necessary for evaluation.

Direct contact information such as postal address, telephone number and email address is not intended to be disclosed to jury members where it is unnecessary for evaluation.

Jury members are authorised to use participant information and performance materials solely for Competition evaluation and related authorised purposes.

12. Hosting and Data Location

Participant registration data, account information, Competition information and related administrative records are stored in the Competition's competition management system and databases.

The Competition's primary server infrastructure and databases are located in Germany, within the European Economic Area (EEA).

Hosting and related technical infrastructure services are provided by Hostinger.

Hostinger may process or technically access personal data to the extent necessary to provide hosting, infrastructure, security, maintenance or technical support services.

ICMC Europe remains responsible for the personal data for which it determines the purposes and means of processing, subject to the respective responsibilities of service providers under applicable law.

13. International Data Transfers

ICMC Europe is an international Competition and may work with jury members, service providers and other authorised recipients located both inside and outside the EEA.

Although the primary Competition database is hosted in Germany, certain limited personal data or performance materials may therefore be transferred to or accessible from countries outside the EEA.

Where such processing constitutes an international transfer of personal data, ICMC Europe will use an appropriate legal mechanism where required under applicable data protection law, including, where applicable:

• an adequacy decision adopted by the European Commission;
• Standard Contractual Clauses approved by the European Commission;
• another safeguard recognised under Chapter V GDPR; or
• another lawful transfer mechanism permitted by applicable law.

ICMC Europe seeks to limit international access to the minimum information reasonably necessary for the relevant purpose.

In particular, jury members should not receive participants' postal addresses, telephone numbers or email addresses where such information is unnecessary for Competition evaluation.

14. Payment Processing

Competition payments may be processed by Stripe or another payment service provider identified during the payment process.

Payment providers process payment and transaction information in accordance with their own applicable privacy policies and legal obligations.

ICMC Europe does not store full payment-card credentials where such credentials are processed directly by the payment provider.

ICMC Europe may receive transaction information necessary to associate a payment with an application, verify payment status, process permitted refunds and maintain required Competition and accounting records.

Where a payment provider independently determines the purposes and means of certain processing activities, that provider is responsible for those processing activities in accordance with applicable law.

15. Recipients of Personal Data

Personal data is not sold to third parties.

Depending on the relevant processing activity, personal data may be disclosed or made accessible to:

• authorised Competition organisers and administrators;
• authorised technical personnel;
• authorised Competition jury members;
• Hostinger, as hosting and technical infrastructure provider;
• Stripe and other authorised payment service providers;
• email and communications service providers;
• database, IT, security and technical service providers;
• accounting, legal and other professional advisers;
• venues, orchestras or event partners where disclosure is necessary for Final Gala or other Competition participation;
• courts, public authorities or regulatory authorities where disclosure is required by applicable law.

Where service providers process personal data on behalf of ICMC Europe, appropriate data-processing arrangements are used where required by applicable law.

Recipients are intended to receive only the information reasonably necessary for the relevant purpose.

16. Email Communications

Email addresses provided in connection with the Competition may be used for Competition-related communications, including:

• account and email verification;
• ensemble confirmation;
• payment information;
• application status;
• Competition deadlines and instructions;
• qualification and results;
• Final Gala information;
• important technical, administrative or legal notices.

Where such communications are necessary for Competition participation or administration, they form part of the Competition service and are not treated as optional marketing communications.

Separate promotional or marketing communications will be sent only where permitted by applicable law and, where required, on the basis of consent.

17. Data Retention

Personal data is retained only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes for which it was collected and for compliance with applicable legal obligations.

Different categories of data may have different retention periods.

In particular:

• participant account, application and Competition data may be retained for the duration of the relevant Competition cycle and for a reasonable period thereafter;
• verification and Competition records may be retained where reasonably necessary to document registrations, confirmations, evaluations and Competition decisions;
• payment, invoice, accounting and transaction records may be retained for the period required by applicable Austrian tax and accounting law;
• information necessary for the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims may be retained for the applicable limitation period;
• technical and security logs may be retained for an appropriate limited period;
• data processed solely on the basis of consent may be deleted or processing discontinued following withdrawal of consent unless another lawful basis permits continued retention;
• official Competition results and historical Competition records may be retained for archival and documentation purposes where a lawful basis exists.

When personal data is no longer required, it will be deleted, anonymised or otherwise handled in accordance with applicable law.

18. Data Accuracy and User Responsibility

Participants, parents, legal guardians and primary ensemble applicants are responsible for providing accurate, complete and up-to-date information.

ICMC Europe should be informed if submitted personal data requires correction.

To the extent permitted by applicable law, ICMC Europe is not responsible for consequences resulting from incorrect, incomplete, outdated or misleading information provided by a participant, parent, legal guardian, ensemble applicant or other submitting person.

19. Security of Personal Data

ICMC Europe uses reasonable technical and organisational measures appropriate to the nature of the personal data and the risks associated with its processing.

Such measures may include, where appropriate:

• access controls;
• authentication mechanisms;
• restricted administrative access;
• protected password storage;
• encrypted communications;
• security logging;
• technical infrastructure security;
• backup and recovery procedures.

Access to personal data is restricted to persons who require such access for authorised Competition, technical, financial, security, administrative or legal purposes.

However, no internet-based service, electronic communication system or data-storage environment can be guaranteed to be completely secure or continuously available.

To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, ICMC Europe does not guarantee uninterrupted availability of the platform or absolute protection against circumstances beyond its reasonable technical or organisational control.

Nothing in this Privacy Policy excludes or limits any responsibility or obligation that cannot lawfully be excluded or limited under the GDPR or other applicable law.

20. Third-Party Services and External Links

The Competition website and platform may contain links to or integrate services provided by third parties.

Third-party services operate under their own terms, privacy policies and security practices.

ICMC Europe does not control and, to the extent permitted by applicable law, is not responsible for the independent privacy, security, availability, content or data-processing practices of third-party websites or services.

Participants are encouraged to review the applicable privacy information of third-party services before using them.

21. Rights of Data Subjects

Subject to the conditions and limitations established by applicable law, individuals whose personal data is processed by ICMC Europe may have the right to:

• obtain information about the processing of their personal data;
• request access to their personal data;
• request correction of inaccurate or incomplete personal data;
• request deletion of personal data;
• request restriction of processing;
• object to certain processing;
• receive certain personal data in a portable format;
• withdraw consent where processing is based on consent;
• lodge a complaint with a competent supervisory authority.

These rights are not absolute and may be subject to statutory exceptions, retention requirements or other applicable legal obligations.

Requests concerning personal data may be submitted to:

[insert official privacy/contact email]

ICMC Europe may request information reasonably necessary to verify the identity and authority of the person making the request.

22. Austrian Data Protection Authority

Data subjects have the right to lodge a complaint with a competent data protection supervisory authority.

In Austria, the supervisory authority is:

Österreichische Datenschutzbehörde
Barichgasse 40–42
1030 Vienna
Austria

23. Automated Processing and Age Classification

The Competition platform may automatically determine a participant's age category based on the participant's date of birth and selected music category.

This functionality is used for administrative classification according to the published Competition Rules.

The Competition does not intend to use solely automated decision-making producing legal or similarly significant effects within the meaning of Article 22 GDPR unless expressly disclosed.

Competition evaluation, scoring, qualification and advancement are carried out according to the Competition Rules and jury procedures.

24. Personal Data Breaches

If a personal data breach occurs, ICMC Europe will assess the incident and take measures required under applicable data protection law.

Where legally required, the competent supervisory authority and/or affected data subjects will be notified in accordance with the GDPR.

25. Changes to this Privacy Policy

ICMC Europe may update this Privacy Policy where necessary to reflect changes in:

• the Competition platform;
• Competition procedures;
• service providers;
• technical infrastructure;
• data-processing activities; or
• applicable legal requirements.

The current version will be published on the Competition website.

Where appropriate, material changes may also be communicated through the participant account, by email or by another suitable method.

26. Applicable Data Protection Law

The processing of personal data by ICMC Europe is governed by the General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (GDPR) and applicable Austrian data protection law, including the Austrian Data Protection Act (Datenschutzgesetz – DSG).

Nothing in this Privacy Policy is intended to exclude, restrict or waive any rights or obligations that cannot lawfully be excluded under applicable data protection law.

27. Contact

For questions regarding this Privacy Policy, the processing of personal data or the exercise of data protection rights, please contact:

Art VIDI – Artistische Vereinigung zur Integration Diverser Identitäten
ZVR: 1842523698
Vienna, Austria
Email: info@icmceurope.com