BSME Privacy Notice

Last reviewed: 15 September 2026 (previous version dated 14 May 2018)

 

1. Who we are

The British Society of Magazine Editors (BSME) is the only society in the UK exclusively for magazine and website editors and senior editorial staff. Our aim is to represent the needs and views of all editors, providing a strong, clear voice for our industry.

BSME is the data controller for the personal information described in this notice. Our day-to-day events and administration are handled by David Cotter Productions, 4 Conway Road, N14 7BA. Any queries about this notice, or about the personal data we hold, should go to hello@bsme.com. BSME is registered with the Information Commissioner's Office as a data controller.

2. What this notice covers

This notice explains how we collect and use personal data across everything BSME does: membership, our newsletter and mailing lists, our website, our events (including the Talent Awards, Main Awards, Icons Lunch and other member events), sponsorship relationships, and the BSME & Caitlin Moran Young Writers' Prize. Where the Young Writers' Prize involves different or additional processing, that's set out separately in section 4.

3. Personal data we collect — members, subscribers and event guests

  • Contact and identification details: name, email, phone number, job title, publication or employer, postal address where relevant.

  • Membership records: membership status and history, committee or sub-committee roles, event attendance.

  • Communications: emails and other correspondence with us, and any information you give us when you contact us with a query or complaint.

  • Event logistics: dietary requirements and accessibility needs for events you attend, and photographs or video taken at BSME events for our own promotional use.

  • Sponsorship and partnership contacts: business contact details of individuals at sponsor and partner organisations.

  • Website and email analytics: see section 11 on cookies.

4. The BSME & Caitlin Moran Young Writers' Prize

The Young Writers' Prize is open to writers aged 18–25 across the UK and is run through BSME with Caitlin Moran as patron and Mantis/Reach plc as headline sponsor. Because it involves an open public competition, unpublished creative writing, third-party referrers, a named patron, and cash payments to entrants, it involves more personal data — and more sharing of that data — than our usual membership activity. This section is deliberately specific.

4.1 What we collect from entrants

  • Entry form details: name, age (to confirm eligibility), email, phone number, and location.

  • The submitted piece of writing and the personal statement that accompanies it.

  • Bank or payment details for entrants who are shortlisted, published or win — needed to pay the publication fee or prize.

  • Where entrants come to us through a college, university, youth organisation or teacher, we may also receive their name and contact details from that referring organisation rather than directly from the entrant.

4.2 A note on sensitive information in personal statements

The Prize invites entrants to write about access barriers, background and lived experience, so personal statements may include things the law treats as special category data — health, disability, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation or similar. We don't require this to enter or win. By entering the Prize and agreeing to the entry terms, entrants consent to BSME processing anything they choose to include in their statement, for the purpose of assessing and administering their entry only. We don't use it for any other purpose, we don't ask judges to record or profile entrants by these characteristics, and we don't carry out formal equality monitoring of entrants.

4.3 Who we share entrant data with

  • The BSME judging panel (committee members) who shortlist entries.

  • Caitlin Moran and her team, who review shortlisted and winning entries and correspond directly with entrants.

  • BSME designs and produces the printed fanzine featuring the top 10–15 entries — this means a published writer's name, writing and photo are included, and the fanzine is printed and distributed to 300+ UK magazine editors.

  • Mantis/Reach plc as headline sponsor — normally in aggregate (entry numbers, themes) rather than as identifiable individual data, unless an entrant is a shortlisted or winning writer whose work and name are being publicly celebrated.

  • Any operational tools we use to manage entries — Airtable and Google Forms.

We do not sell entrant data, and we do not share it with sponsors or third parties for their own independent marketing use.

4.4 Publicity and use of a winner's name, work and image

Being shortlisted or winning is inherently public: winners are announced at the BSME Awards, published in the fanzine, and (per current plans) may appear at events such as Hay Festival and Latitude Festival alongside Caitlin Moran. Entry to the Prize includes clear, separate consent covering the use of an entrant's name, photograph, likeness and submitted writing in BSME and partner publicity, on our website and social channels, and in the printed fanzine if selected.

4.5 Retention for the Prize

Unsuccessful entries are deleted within 12 months of the winner being announced. Shortlisted, published and winning entries — including payment records — are kept for 7 years from the date of payment, in line with financial record-keeping requirements. Where a piece has been published (for example in the fanzine or on our website), the published work itself remains part of our public archive.

5. Why we process your data and our lawful basis

  • Legitimate interests: running BSME as a membership body, delivering events, maintaining member and sponsor relationships, and administering the Young Writers' Prize as one of our core activities.

  • Consent: sending marketing and newsletter content to non-members, using cookies that aren't strictly necessary, and using an entrant's name, image or work in publicity.

  • Contract: paying prize money or publication fees to Young Writers' Prize entrants who are shortlisted, published or win.

  • Legal obligation: keeping financial records (including payments to entrants) for as long as tax law requires.

6. What we do with personal data

  • Internal record keeping and administering membership.

  • Organising and delivering BSME events, including the Young Writers' Prize.

  • Sending newsletters and occasional emails about events, awards, sponsorship or general news we think you'd find relevant.

  • Assessing, judging, publishing and paying Young Writers' Prize entries.

7. Who we share personal data with

We don't sell personal data, and we don't share it with unrelated third parties beyond what's described in this notice. We do use other companies to help us run BSME, and they only use your data to provide that service to us:

  • Email and newsletter delivery — SendGrid.

  • Website hosting — Squarespace.

  • Website analytics — Google Analytics.

  • Operations and record-keeping — Airtable, Google Workspace.

  • Young Writers' Prize partners — see section 4.3 above.

  • Meeting recording and transcription — Fathom, for internal committee and team meetings.

These providers are not authorised to use your data for their own purposes.

8. International transfers

Several of the tools listed above (including Google and, depending on the provider, our email platform) may store or process data outside the UK. Where that happens, we rely on the provider's standard contractual clauses or an equivalent adequacy mechanism.

9. How long we keep personal data

We keep personal data only for as long as we need it.

  • Member records are kept for the duration of membership, plus 3 years after membership ends, in case of renewal or a query about past involvement.

  • Newsletter subscribers who aren't members are kept until they unsubscribe, or removed automatically after 24 months of no engagement with our emails.

  • Young Writers' Prize entries are kept as set out in section 4.5.

  • Where we're required by law to keep records for longer — financial records, for example — we keep them for that legally required period (currently 7 years).

10. Security

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, loss or disclosure. No system is completely secure, and we can't guarantee the security of information sent to us by email.

11. Cookies

Our website uses cookies. Strictly necessary cookies, which keep the site working, don't require your consent. Analytics and any marketing or social media cookies do, and are only set once you've given consent through our cookie banner, which gives you an equal choice to accept all, decline all, or manage your preferences. You can change your mind at any time through the cookie settings on our site or your browser.

12. Your rights

You can ask us, at any time, to:

  • access the personal data we hold about you

  • correct anything that's inaccurate or incomplete

  • delete your data, where we don't have a legal reason to keep it

  • restrict or object to how we use it

  • receive a portable copy of the data you've given us

  • withdraw consent, where consent is the basis for our processing (for example, marketing emails or use of your image)

We'll respond within one month. To exercise any of these rights, email hello@bsme.com. If you're not satisfied with our response, you can complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ico.org.uk).

13. Marketing and opt-out

You can unsubscribe from our newsletter or promotional emails at any time using the link at the bottom of any email, or by emailing hello@bsme.com. We'll action opt-outs promptly. Opting out of marketing doesn't stop us sending you communications that are necessary to deliver something you've asked for — for example, information about a Young Writers' Prize entry you've submitted.

14. Age and the Young Writers' Prize

The Young Writers' Prize is open to entrants aged 18–25, and entrants confirm they are 18 or over as part of entering. BSME's other activities and events are aimed at working professionals and are not directed at children. If we become aware that an entry has come from someone under 18 — for example, submitted on their behalf by a school or college — we will not process that entry further, and will delete the personal data we hold on them as soon as reasonably possible.

15. Changes to this notice

We review this notice regularly. If we plan to use personal data for a new purpose, we'll update this notice and tell people before we start.

16. Contact us

British Society of Magazine Editors, hello@bsme.com

BSME COOKIE POLICY


Similar to other commercial websites, our Website uses a technology called "cookies" and web server logs to collect information about how our Website is used.


COOKIES

A cookie is a very small text document, which often includes an anonymous unique identifier. When you visit a website, that site's computer asks your computer for permission to store this file in a part of your hard drive specifically designated for cookies.

Information gathered through cookies and web server logs may include the date and time of visits, the pages viewed, time spent at our Website, and the websites visited just before and just after our Website.

For further details on Cookies please visit www.allaboutcookies.org where you can find comprehensive information on Cookie restriction and blocking for a wide variety of browsers.


HOW WE USE COOKIES

We use 'analytical' cookies which, in conjunction with our web server's log files, allow us to calculate the aggregate number of people visiting our Website and which parts of the Website are most popular. This helps us gather feedback so that we can improve our Website and better serve our users and members. We do not generally store any personal Information that you provided to us in your cookies. 

On some of our web pages third parties may also set their own cookies (for example when you click social media sharing buttons or view embedded videos hosted on another website). The BSME cannot access the data stored in any such cookies (nor can such third parties access the BSME’s cookies).

By using our Website, you are deemed to consent to our use of the analytical cookies described above.

You can refuse to accept cookies by activating the setting on your browser which allows you to refuse the setting of cookies (see below for further details). Please note that if you use your browser settings to block all cookies (including essential cookies) you may not be able to access all or parts of our site.


REFUSING COOKIES

You can refuse to accept all or some cookies by amending the settings on your web browser.

For details about how to adjust your cookie settings in the following browsers, please visit the relevant link below:

Cookie settings in Internet Explorer
Cookie settings in Firefox
Cookie settings in Chrome
Cookie settings in Safari web and iOS.