PRIVACY POLICY
Last updated: June 2026
1. Who we are
The Homer Awards are operated by Rania Stone and Jonas Saul through Imagine Greece Retreats. Our website address is homerawards.com. Our contact email is info@homerawards.com.
We are the data controller for all personal data collected through this website.
2. What data do we collect and why
Contact form
When you use our contact form, we collect your name, email address, and message. We use this information solely to respond to your inquiry. Legal basis: legitimate interest.
Publisher submission form
When you submit a title for consideration, we collect your publisher name, contact name, email address, book title, author name, ISBN, publication date, and related submission information. We use this to process your submission and communicate with you about eligibility and results. Legal basis: contractual necessity.
Manuscript submission form (Penelope Award)
When you submit a manuscript, we collect your name, email address, synopsis, and first three chapters. We use this to evaluate your submission and contact you about the process. Legal basis: contractual necessity.
Mailing list
If you sign up for our mailing list, we collect your email address. We use this to send you Homer Awards news, author announcements, and BOOKfest Greece updates. Legal basis: consent. You may unsubscribe at any time using the link in any email we send.
Booking through Imagine Greece Retreats
BOOKfest Greece bookings are handled through WeTravel via Imagine Greece Retreats. Any personal data you provide during booking is subject to WeTravel’s privacy policy. We received your booking details to manage your retreat attendance.
3. Cookies
Our website uses cookies. These include:
Essential cookies — Required for the website to function. These cannot be disabled.
WordPress cookies — Set by WordPress to manage your session if you log in to the site.
Google Maps — We embed Google Maps on our contact and location pages. Google may set cookies when you interact with the map. See Google’s privacy policy at policies.google.com/privacy.
YouTube — We embed YouTube videos on our site. YouTube may set cookies when you play a video. See Google’s privacy policy at policies.google.com/privacy.
Analytics — If we use analytics tools to understand how visitors interact with our site, they will be listed here. We will update this policy if analytics are added.
You can control cookies through your browser settings. Disabling certain cookies may affect how the website functions.
4. How long do we keep your data
| Data type | Retention period |
|---|---|
| Contact form enquiries | 2 years |
| Publisher submission records | 5 years |
| Manuscript submissions | 3 years |
| Mailing list | Until you unsubscribe |
| Booking data | 5 years |
5. Who we share your data with
We do not sell your personal data. We do not share it with third parties for marketing purposes.
We may share data with:
Service providers who help us operate the website and awards program — including our web hosting provider, form processing tools (Formidable Forms), and email delivery services. These providers act as data processors under our instruction.
WeTravel for BOOKfest Greece booking management.
Legal authorities, if required to do so by law.
6. Your rights under GDPR
If you are based in the European Union or European Economic Area, you have the following rights regarding your personal data:
Right of access — You can request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Right to rectification — You can ask us to correct inaccurate data.
Right to erasure — You can ask us to delete your personal data in certain circumstances.
Right to restriction — You can ask us to restrict how we process your data.
Right to data portability — You can ask us to provide your data in a portable format.
Right to object — You can object to our processing of your data where we rely on legitimate interest as our legal basis.
Right to withdraw consent — Where we process your data based on consent, you can withdraw that consent at any time.
To exercise any of these rights, email us at info@homerawards.com. We will respond within 30 days.
You also have the right to lodge a complaint with your national data protection authority. In Greece, this is the Hellenic Data Protection Authority (HDPA) at dpa.gr.
7. Data security
We take reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect your personal data against unauthorized access, loss, or misuse. Our website uses SSL encryption (HTTPS). Access to submission data is restricted to Rania Stone and Jonas Saul only.
8. Third-party links
Our website contains links to third-party websites, including Thriller Book Retreat, Solo Travel To Greece, Imagine Greece Retreats, Imagine Press, and WeTravel. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those sites. We encourage you to read their privacy policies.
9. Children
Our website is not directed at children under the age of 16. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children. If you believe a child has provided us with personal data, please contact us at info@homerawards.com.
10. Changes to this policy
We may update this privacy policy from time to time. The date at the top of this page shows when it was last updated. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.
11. Contact us
For any questions about this privacy policy or your personal data: Email: info@homerawards.com
Note: This privacy policy is a working document drafted to cover the known data collection activities of homerawards.com. We recommend having it reviewed by a legal professional familiar with GDPR before the site goes fully live and begins accepting active form submissions.