Awards Terms & Conditions

Organiser: APG Media, Vilnius, Lithuania (the “Organiser”). Contact: [email protected]. These Terms govern entry to the EcomExpo 2026 Awards (the “Awards”), held at EcomExpo 2026 on 1 October 2026, Samsung Conference Center, Tech Zity, Vilnius. By submitting an entry and ticking the consent box on the entry form, you agree to these Terms on behalf of the entering company.

1. Eligibility

• Open to any European company, brand or agency that is not subject to EU sanctions.
• Entered work must have been carried out or publicly live between 1 January 2025 and 30 September 2026. Work outside this window is ineligible.
• Best Startup is for brands launched within the last 24 months.
• A company may enter its own work. Agencies may enter client work only with the client’s documented consent (see section 9).
• Leader of the Year is a free nomination, not a paid entry.

2. Entries & fees

• Entry is paid and per category: €190 + 21% VAT per entry. Discounts are applied by choosing the relevant entry option at checkout: a 20% discount for five or more entries, and an 80% discount for e-commerce businesses based in Ukraine. Sponsor packages may include free entries.
• One work entered in several categories requires a separate paid entry per category. Different works in the same category each require a separate paid entry.
• Each entry must be completed in English, within the word limits shown on the entry form, following the order of the criteria. Omissions may prevent fair evaluation.
• Supporting links must remain accessible until at least 8 October 2026.

3. Payment, cancellation & refunds

• Payment is taken at the point of entry via our ticketing provider, Fienta. A VAT invoice is issued by Fienta.
• You may cancel by email to [email protected] before the final entry deadline.
• No refunds are given once an entry has been submitted. Non-payment voids the entry.

4. Deadlines

• Entries open: 15 June 2026.
• Final entry deadline: 31 August 2026, 23:59 EEST. Late entries are not accepted.
• Supporting materials live by: 7 September 2026.
• Finalists announced: 15 September 2026. Winners announced live: 1 October 2026.

5. Judging & results

• Entries are scored by an independent jury against published criteria (goals & budget, audience & strategy, creativity, execution, and results & impact) over two rounds.
• The jury’s decision is final and not open to discussion or appeal.
• The Organiser may withhold an award in any category if entries do not meet the required standard, and the jury may reassign an entry to a more appropriate category.
• Jury members with a conflict of interest recuse themselves from the affected category.

6. Ownership & use of materials

You retain ownership of your underlying work. By entering, you grant the Organiser a non-exclusive, royalty-free licence to use the materials you submit for the purposes of administering and judging the Awards, archiving entries, and promoting the Awards and winning/finalist work across EcomExpo and Organiser channels (website, newsletter, social, press, and on-stage). The Organiser will not publish confidential figures marked as such without consent (see section 7).

7. Confidentiality

Entry submissions are treated as confidential and are seen only by the jury and the Organiser for the purpose of judging. Public communication about winners and finalists is limited to non-confidential summaries unless you agree otherwise.

8. Originality & client consent

You warrant that the entered work is your own or that you have obtained the rightful owner’s and/or client’s consent to enter it, that the information provided is accurate, and that the work does not infringe any third-party rights. False declarations of consent or ownership result in disqualification.

9. Content standards

Entries must not contain unlawful, offensive, discriminatory, explicit, or infringing content.

10. Disqualification

The Organiser may disqualify an entry for breach of these Terms, false or misleading information, ineligible work period, prohibited content, or non-payment. No refund is due on disqualification.

11. Recognition & People’s Choice

Awards are recognition-based; there is no cash prize. Winners and finalists receive on-stage recognition, a digital badge/asset pack, and feature across EcomExpo channels. A separate public People’s Choice vote runs among jury-selected finalists and does not influence the jury categories.

12. Liability

The Organiser is not responsible for incorrect or incomplete submissions, or for technical issues affecting supporting links or third-party platforms. To the extent permitted by law, the Organiser’s liability in connection with the Awards is limited to the entry fee paid.

13. Governing law

These Terms are governed by the laws of the Republic of Lithuania, and any disputes are subject to the jurisdiction of the courts of Vilnius.

14. Privacy & data protection

Controller: APG Media, Vilnius, Lithuania ([email protected]). This notice explains how we process personal data submitted through the Awards entry process, in line with the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

What we collect

• Contact and company details: name, email, company, VAT ID, country, and your Fienta order number.
• Entry content and supporting links you provide.
• Payment is processed by Fienta; we do not store full card details.

Why we process it (legal bases)

• Performance of a contract — to administer your entry, reconcile payment, and judge the Awards.
• Legitimate interests — to run, secure, and promote the Awards.
• Consent — where you opt in to specific communications.

Who processes it

We use trusted processors to deliver the Awards: Fienta (payment & ticketing), Make.com (workflow automation), and Google (the entry register and email). Data may be processed on their infrastructure under appropriate safeguards. Entry content is accessible only to the jury and the Organiser.

Retention

We keep entry data for the duration of the 2026 Awards cycle and a reasonable period afterwards for archiving, accounting, and to administer future editions, after which it is deleted or anonymised.

Your rights

You may request access to, correction or erasure of your personal data, or object to or restrict its processing, by emailing [email protected]. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the State Data Protection Inspectorate of Lithuania (Valstybinė duomenų apsaugos inspekcija).

15. Changes to these Terms

The Organiser may update these Terms; the version in force is the one published on this page at the time of entry. Material changes will be noted by updating the date above.

16. Contact

Questions about the Awards or these Terms: [email protected].

EcomExpo 2026 Awards · Organised by APG Media · 1 October 2026, Samsung Conference Center, Vilnius.