1.Who we are

The Kineos is an independent awards project run by Kineograph (“we,” “us,” or “our”) and published at awards.kineograph.us. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by Higgsfield or any film festival mentioned on this site. This policy explains what information we collect through this website and how we use it.

2.Information we collect

We collect information you choose to give us and some basic technical information when you visit the site. Joining the Kineos academy and submitting a film are both free, and we do not ask for credit card or other payment information.

• When you join as a member: your name, email address, creator or channel link, your role, the festival film title and link you give as proof of participation, and your Discord username if you choose to provide it.
• When you submit a film: your name, email address, the film title and a link to the film (hosted on YouTube, Vimeo, or another site), genre, runtime, the tools and models used, a link to the film’s public workflow, and details of any festival shortlist.
• When you vote: a record that you have voted, so that each member votes only once.
• When you contact us: your email address and whatever you include in your message.
• Automatically: basic technical information such as your IP address, browser type, device, and the pages you visit, collected through standard website tools and server logs.

3.How we use it

• To check that membership applicants took part in the festival they name.
• To review film submissions and confirm they are eligible.
• To run the voting process and announce the awards.
• To email you about your membership, your submission, voting, and the ceremony.
• To protect the site and the voting process from spam, fraud, and abuse.
• To understand how the site is used and improve it.
• To meet legal obligations.

4.What becomes public

If your film is nominated or wins, we will show its title, your name or creator name, and the public workflow link you provided on this site and in our announcements. We do not publish your email address or your membership details. If we later create a public member directory, we will ask for your permission before listing you.

5.Who we share it with

We do not sell or rent your personal information. We share it only with:

• Service providers that help us run the site, such as website hosting, email delivery, form and spam-protection tools, and analytics, who may only use it to provide their services to us.
• Authorities or other parties when the law requires it, or when needed to protect our rights or the safety of others.

We may check your participation in a festival using public festival information. We do not share your membership or submission details with festivals or companies unless you ask us to.

6.Cookies and third parties

This site uses cookies that WordPress and our tools need to work, such as keeping forms secure. Our pages load fonts from Google Fonts, which means your browser connects to Google and Google may receive your IP address. Links you submit, such as films on YouTube or Vimeo, lead to other websites with their own privacy practices, which we do not control.

7.How long we keep it

We keep your information for as long as it is needed to run the awards, and for a reasonable period afterward for records and to prevent duplicate memberships or votes. If you ask us to delete your information, we will do so unless we are required to keep it.

8.Security

We take reasonable steps to protect your information, but no website or storage method is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

9.Your choices and rights

You can contact us at any time to:

• ask what information we hold about you,
• correct information that is wrong,
• delete your information or close your membership, and
• stop receiving emails (every email also includes a way to unsubscribe).

Depending on where you live, you may have additional rights under local privacy laws, such as those in California or the European Union. Contact us and we will respond to your request as the law requires.

10.Children

This site is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect their personal information. If you believe a child has given us information, contact us and we will delete it.

11.Changes to this policy

We may update this policy as the awards grow. When we do, we will change the date at the top of this page. If the changes are significant, we will tell you by email or on the site.