Legal
Privacy Policy
Effective date: October 27, 2026
This policy explains what personal information the San Francisco International Piano Competition collects, why we collect it, and the choices you have. We keep it short and plain on purpose. It applies to this website, our competition applications, and our communications with you.
1. Who we are
The San Francisco International Piano Competition is run by the Artcial Music Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in San Francisco, California. In this policy, "we", "us" and "our" mean the Artcial Music Foundation.
2. Information we collect
We collect only what we need to run the competition and communicate with you.
Information you give us
- Contact details: your name, email address, phone number and mailing address.
- Application details: your date of birth, division, repertoire, biography, and links to your performance recordings.
- Age verification: a copy of a passport, birth certificate or other government-issued ID, used only to confirm your date of birth.
- Messages: anything you send us by email or through our forms.
Payments
Application fees and donations are handled by our payment provider, [payment provider name]. We do not see or store your full card number.
Information collected automatically
When you visit our site, we and our service providers may collect your IP address, browser and device type, the pages you view, and the date and time of your visit. This is gathered through cookies and similar technology (see section 5).
3. How we use it
- To process applications, verify eligibility, and run the competition and festival.
- To share application materials and recordings with our jury for judging.
- To announce winners and finalists, as described in the competition rules.
- To answer your questions and send updates about your application.
- To process donations and send receipts.
- To understand how the site is used and to keep it secure and working.
- To meet our legal and tax obligations.
5. Cookies and tracking
Our website, which is hosted by Squarespace, uses cookies and similar technologies to keep the site working, remember your preferences, and measure traffic. [Add Google Analytics or any other tools you use.] Embedded YouTube videos may also set their own cookies. You can block or delete cookies in your browser settings.
Do Not Track. Some browsers send a "Do Not Track" signal. Because there is no common standard for responding to these signals, our site does not currently change how it works when it receives one. Third parties, such as Squarespace and Google, may collect information about your online activity over time and across websites. Please see their privacy policies to learn more.
6. Children and minors
Many of our applicants are under 18. We ask that a parent or legal guardian complete or approve the application for anyone under 18, and we do not knowingly collect personal information directly from children under 13 without a parent or guardian's consent.
A parent or guardian may review, correct or request deletion of their child's information at any time by contacting us. If we learn we collected a child's information without the proper consent, we will delete it.
California minors. If you are a California resident under 18 and have posted content on our site, you may ask us to remove it by emailing us. We will tell you if the content cannot be completely removed, for example because it was shared by someone else.
7. Your California privacy rights
California law, including the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA), gives California residents rights over their personal information. As a nonprofit, we may not be legally required to follow all of these rules, but we offer these rights to every California resident.
- Right to know: to ask what personal information we have collected about you, where it came from, why we use it, and who we share it with.
- Right to access: to receive a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
- Right to delete: to ask us to delete your personal information, with some exceptions, such as records we must keep by law.
- Right to correct: to ask us to fix inaccurate personal information.
- Right to opt out: to opt out of the sale or sharing of your personal information. We do not sell or share your personal information.
- Right to limit sensitive information: to limit how we use sensitive personal information, such as a copy of a government ID. We use it only to verify age and eligibility.
- Right to non-discrimination: we will not treat you differently for using any of these rights.
How to make a request
Email us at info@artcialmusicfoundation.org with the subject "Privacy request" and tell us which right you wish to use. We may ask you to confirm your identity before we act. We will respond within 45 days, and let you know if we need more time. You may also ask an authorized agent to make a request for you, as long as we can confirm they have your permission.
Shine the Light
Under California Civil Code section 1798.83, California residents may ask for information about personal information shared with third parties for their direct marketing. We do not share personal information with third parties for their own direct marketing.
8. Retention and security
We keep personal information only as long as we need it for the purposes above, or as the law requires, for example to keep financial and donation records. We use reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect your information, but no website or system is completely secure.
9. Changes to this policy
We may update this policy from time to time. When we do, we will change the effective date at the top of this page. If the changes are significant, we will tell you in a clearer way, such as on our homepage or by email.
10. Contact us
Questions about this policy or your information? Contact the Artcial Music Foundation:
- Email: info@artcialmusicfoundation.org
- Mail: Artcial Music Foundation, [mailing address], San Francisco, CA
This page is provided for general information and is not legal advice.