The Meridian Essay Prize Privacy Policy

The Meridian Essay Prize 2026 is promoted by 360 ONE WAM Limited (registered at 360 ONE Centre, Senapati Bapat Marg, Kamla City, Lower Parel, Mumbai 400013) and organised in partnership with Peak Potentia, collectively referred to as the "Organising Partners". 
 

This Privacy Policy explains what personal data we collect, the legal basis for processing it, how we use it, who we share it with, and the rights you hold as a data subject under Indian law.

1. What data is collected from you? 

We collect the following categories of personal data: 

• Full name and contact details (email address) 

• Age, date of birth, and competition category 

• Educational institution name and enrolment status 

• Identity and residency documents (Aadhaar card, passport, school/college ID) 

• Essay submissions and associated intellectual property 

• For participants under 18: parent or guardian name, signed consent, and bank details 

• For prize winners: bank account details required for cash disbursement 

• Payment transaction records for registration fees 
   

2. Why is your data collected?  

Your personal data is collected and used for the following purposes: 

• To register you and administer your participation in The Meridian Essay Prize 2026 

• To verify your eligibility (age, residency, and student status) 

• To communicate competition updates, results, and decisions to you 

• To assess entries using plagiarism detection and AI detection tools (with your consent) 

• To disburse prizes and comply with applicable tax obligations under Indian law 

• To promote The Meridian Essay Prize 2026 and future editions, including publishing prize-winning entries with attribution 

• With your separate, specific consent: to send information about future programmes and initiatives by the Promoter or Organising Partners 
   

3. How is your data used by us? 

Under the DPDPA, we process your personal data on the following bases: 

• Consent — you provide express consent at registration and, where required, via a Parental Consent Form for participants under 18 

• Contractual necessity — processing is required to administer your participation in the competition and disburse prizes 

• Legal obligation — processing financial data (e.g. PAN, bank details) as required under the Income Tax Act, 1961 

• Legitimate interests — using plagiarism and AI detection tools to protect the integrity of the competition 
   

4. Who we share your data with? 

We share your personal data only as necessary to administer the competition. Recipients include: 

• Peak Potentia (co-organiser) — for competition administration 

• The Harvard Crimson and Crimson Education — competition administration partners 

• Corporate affiliates, claims handlers, and business partners as required to run the competition 

• Payment gateway providers — for processing registration fees securely 

• Plagiarism and AI detection service providers — for assessing essay submissions 

• Regulatory or tax authorities — where disclosure is required by law 

Where data is transferred outside India, such transfers will be made in compliance with the DPDPA and applicable rules on cross-border data transfers. 
 

5. For Applicants under 18  

We are committed to protecting the personal data of minors. Where a participant is under 18 years of age: 

• A signed Parental Consent Form must be submitted at registration and is available at www.The Meridian Essay Prize.com 

• Personal data will only be processed with verified parental or guardian consent, as required under the DPDPA 

• Cash prizes will be disbursed to the bank account of the winner's parent or legal guardian 

• If we discover that we have collected data from a minor without valid parental consent, we will delete that data immediately and disqualify the relevant entry 

• Parents and guardians may exercise data rights on behalf of minor participants at any time 
   

6. We protect your data 

We implement reasonable technical and organisational security measures consistent with the requirements of the DPDPA and the IT (Reasonable Security Practices) Rules, 2011. These include: 

• Secure payment processing through approved and compliant payment gateways 

• Restricted access to personal data, limited to authorised personnel only 

• Use of reputable third-party tools for essay integrity assessment 

• Secure storage and transmission of identity and financial documents 

We will retain your personal data only for as long as it is necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, or as required by applicable law. 
 

7. Your rights as data subject  

The Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 grants you the following rights in relation to your personal data: 

• Right to access — request a copy of the personal data we hold about you 

• Right to correct — request correction of inaccurate or incomplete personal data 

• Right to withdraw consent — opt out of data processing at any time (note: this may affect your ability to participate) 

• Right to object — opt out of your data being used for marketing or promotional communications 

• Right to complain — lodge a complaint with the Data Protection Board of India 

To exercise any of these rights, please contact our Data Grievance Officer at: [Grievance Officer Name and Email Address — to be updated prior to publication]. 
 

8. Intellectual Property and use of your name  

You retain full copyright in your submitted essay. By submitting your entry, you grant the Promoter and Organising Partners a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide licence to review, print, publish, broadcast, distribute, and use your entry, and your name, for the following purposes: 

• Administering and promoting The Meridian Essay Prize 2026 and future editions of the The Meridian Essay Prize initiative 

• The Promoter's and Organising Partners' non-commercial educational and public relations activities 

This licence does not extend to commercial advertising use of your entry without your further written consent. 

Your moral rights under the Copyright Act, 1957 — including the right of attribution and the right to object to derogatory treatment of your work — are preserved. Where your entry is published or broadcast, the Organising Partners will use reasonable efforts to attribute the work to you by name. 
 

9. Change to this Policy  

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in law, competition rules, or our data practices. Any updates will be published on the competition website at www.The Meridian Essay Prize.com. Continued participation following publication of an updated policy constitutes your acceptance of the changes. 

In the event of any conflict between the Terms and Conditions and this Privacy Policy in respect of data protection matters, this Privacy Policy shall prevail. 
 

10. Governing law and jurisdiction  

This Privacy Policy is governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of India. Any disputes arising out of or in connection with this Privacy Policy shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts in Mumbai, India. 
 

11. Contact us 

For any questions or concerns regarding this Privacy Policy or the handling of your personal data, please contact: 

The Meridian Essay Prize Team 

Email: info@themeridianessayprize.com 

Website: www.The Meridian Essay Prize.com 

Contact person: [Name and email — to be updated]