Cookie Policy

Version 1.0

Introduction

This Cookie Policy explains how The Meridian Awards Ltd ("Meridian", "we", "our" or "us") uses cookies and similar technologies on the Website.

Cookies and similar technologies help the Website function, support security, remember user preferences, understand how visitors interact with the Website, and assist with advertising or measurement where consent has been given.

This Cookie Policy should be read together with Meridian’s Privacy Policy, which explains how Meridian processes Personal Data.

By using the Website, you may be asked to accept, reject or manage certain categories of cookies through our cookie consent tool.

1. Definitions

For the purposes of this Cookie Policy:

Awards means The Meridian Awards programme, including all award categories, competitions, initiatives, ceremonies and associated activities organised by Meridian.

Cookie means a small text file or similar technology placed on, stored on, or accessed from your device when you visit a website.

Entrant means any individual or organisation that submits, or intends to submit, a Submission to the Awards.

Meridian, we, our or us means The Meridian Awards Ltd, a company incorporated in England and Wales under company number 17298148.

Personal Data means any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person, as defined by applicable data protection legislation, including the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR).

Submission means any information, recording, musical work, audiovisual work, image, artwork, photograph, biography, lyric, document, metadata, declaration or other material submitted to Meridian in connection with the Awards.

Website means www.themeridianawards.com, together with any associated subdomains, web pages, online portals, judging platforms and digital services owned or operated by Meridian.

You or your means any individual or organisation accessing or using the Website.

2. What Cookies Are

Cookies are small files or similar technologies that are placed on or accessed from your device when you visit a website.

Cookies may be used to:

  • make a website work properly; 
  • remember settings or preferences; 
  • support security and fraud prevention; 
  • understand how visitors use a website; 
  • measure the effectiveness of marketing; 
  • support embedded content or third-party services. 

Some cookies are temporary and are deleted when you close your browser. These are often called session cookies.

Other cookies remain on your device for a set period or until you delete them. These are often called persistent cookies.

3. Similar Technologies

In addition to cookies, the Website may use similar technologies, including:

  • tracking pixels; 
  • tags; 
  • scripts;  
  • local storage; 
  • consent preference storage; 
  • embedded media technologies; 
  • analytics and advertising measurement tools. 

For simplicity, this Cookie Policy refers to all of these technologies as “Cookies” unless stated otherwise.

4. Types of Cookies We Use

The Website may use the following categories of Cookies.

Essential Cookies

Essential Cookies are necessary for the Website to function properly.

They may be used for:

  • basic Website functionality; 
  • security;  
  • form operation; 
  • payment processing; 
  • spam prevention; 
  • remembering cookie preferences; 
  • maintaining stable Website performance; 
  • enabling core services requested by the user. 

Essential Cookies do not require consent where they are strictly necessary to provide the service requested by the user.

If you disable essential Cookies through your browser, parts of the Website may not function correctly.

Analytics Cookies

Analytics Cookies help Meridian understand how visitors use the Website.

They may help us understand:

  • which pages are visited; 
  • how visitors move through the Website; 
  • which pages are most useful; 
  • whether users experience technical issues; 
  • how visitors arrive at the Website; 
  • how Website performance can be improved. 

Analytics tools used on the Website may include:

  • Google Analytics; 
  • Google Tag Manager; 
  • Google Search Console; 
  • other analytics or measurement tools introduced by Meridian from time to time. 

Where required by law, Analytics Cookies are only activated after you have given consent.

Marketing and Advertising Cookies

Marketing and Advertising Cookies may be used to measure, deliver or improve Meridian’s advertising and promotional activity.

These technologies may help Meridian:

  • measure advertising performance; 
  • understand whether users interact with advertisements; 
  • create audiences for relevant advertising; 
  • avoid showing irrelevant promotions; 
  • improve campaigns relating to the Awards. 

Marketing and advertising tools used on the Website may include:

  • Meta Pixel; 
  • Google Ads tags; 
  • LinkedIn Insight Tag; 
  • other advertising or marketing technologies introduced by Meridian from time to time. 

Where required by law, Marketing and Advertising Cookies are only activated after you have given consent.

Functional or Preference Cookies

Functional or Preference Cookies may be used to remember choices you make when using the Website.

These may include:

  • cookie preference choices; 
  • display or interface preferences; 
  • form-related preferences; 
  • other settings that improve usability. 

Some Functional Cookies may be essential where they are necessary to provide a service you have requested. Others may require consent depending on their purpose.

5. Third-Party Cookies

Some Cookies on the Website may be set by third-party providers.

These may include providers involved in:

  • analytics;  
  • advertising;  
  • embedded videos; 
  • social media content; 
  • music streaming links or embeds; 
  • payment processing; 
  • form processing; 
  • spam prevention; 
  • Website hosting or functionality. 

Third-party providers may process information in accordance with their own privacy policies and cookie policies.

Meridian does not control all Cookies set by third-party services.

We encourage you to review the privacy and cookie information provided by any third-party services you access through the Website.

6. Embedded Content

The Website may include embedded content or links from third-party platforms, including:

  • YouTube;  
  • Instagram;  
  • music streaming services; 
  • social media platforms; 
  • video providers; 
  • payment providers; 
  • form providers. 

Embedded content may behave as if you had visited the third-party platform directly.

These services may place Cookies, collect information about your device, monitor interaction with embedded content, or associate activity with an account you hold with that third party.

Where possible, Meridian will seek to ensure that non-essential embedded content technologies are subject to appropriate consent controls.

7. Cookie Consent

When you first visit the Website, you may be shown a cookie banner or consent tool.

This tool may allow you to:

  • accept all non-essential Cookies; 
  • reject non-essential Cookies; 
  • customise your cookie preferences; 
  • change your preferences later. 

Where required by law, Meridian will not intentionally activate non-essential Analytics, Marketing or Advertising Cookies unless you have provided consent.

Your consent choices may be stored so that the Website can remember your preferences.

8. Managing or Withdrawing Consent

You can manage or withdraw your cookie consent through the cookie preference tool available on the Website, where provided.

You may also control Cookies through your browser settings.

Most browsers allow you to:

  • view Cookies; 
  • delete Cookies; 
  • block Cookies; 
  • block third-party Cookies; 
  • clear browsing data; 
  • receive warnings before Cookies are stored. 

If you block or delete Cookies, some parts of the Website may not work properly.

Withdrawing consent will not affect the lawfulness of processing that took place before consent was withdrawn.

9. Cookies and Personal Data

Some Cookies may collect or involve the processing of Personal Data, including information such as:

  • device information; 
  • browser type; 
  • approximate location; 
  • IP address; 
  • Website usage information; 
  • advertising identifiers; 
  • interaction data. 

Where Cookies involve the processing of Personal Data, Meridian processes that information in accordance with its Privacy Policy.

The legal basis for processing will depend on the type of Cookie and the purpose for which it is used.

Where consent is required, Meridian relies on your consent.

10. Google Services

The Website may use Google services, including Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager, Google Search Console and Google Ads-related technologies.

These tools may help Meridian understand Website usage, manage tags, measure advertising performance and improve user experience.

Where supported, Meridian may use consent-signalling technologies, such as Google Consent Mode, to communicate your cookie choices to Google services.

Google may process information in accordance with its own privacy and cookie policies.

11. Meta and Social Media Technologies

The Website may use Meta Pixel or other social media technologies to help measure or improve advertising activity.

These tools may allow Meridian to understand whether users interact with Website pages or advertising campaigns.

Where required by law, these technologies are only activated after consent has been given.

Meta and other social media platforms may process information in accordance with their own privacy and cookie policies.

12. LinkedIn Technologies

The Website may use LinkedIn Insight Tag or similar LinkedIn technologies to help measure advertising, understand campaign performance and improve professional audience communications.

Where required by law, these technologies are only activated after consent has been given.

LinkedIn may process information in accordance with its own privacy and cookie policies.

13. Payment, Form and Security Technologies

The Website may use third-party services to support forms, payments, submission processing, security and spam prevention.

These services may include:

  • payment providers; 
  • form providers; 
  • CAPTCHA or anti-spam tools; 
  • security services; 
  • hosting or Website platform providers. 

These technologies may use Cookies or similar technologies that are necessary to provide secure forms, payments and related Website functionality.

Where these technologies are strictly necessary to provide a service requested by you, they may operate without separate cookie consent.

14. Cookie Duration

The duration of Cookies used on the Website may vary.

Some Cookies may last only for a browsing session.

Other Cookies may remain on your device for a longer period, depending on their purpose and the settings used by Meridian or the relevant third-party provider.

Where available, further information about specific Cookies may be provided through the cookie consent tool on the Website.

You can delete Cookies at any time through your browser settings.

15. Changes to This Cookie Policy

Meridian may update this Cookie Policy from time to time to reflect changes in law, technology, Website functionality, third-party services or the way Cookies are used.

The most recent version will always be published on the Website, together with its version number and effective date.

Where reasonably practicable, material changes will be reflected in the cookie consent tool or otherwise communicated through the Website.

16. Relationship with Other Meridian Documents

This Cookie Policy should be read together with Meridian’s:

  • Privacy Policy; 
  • Website Terms and Conditions; 
  • Accessibility Statement; 
  • Awards Entry Terms and Conditions; 
  • Submission Licence Agreement; 
  • AI Submission Policy; 
  • Judging and Confidentiality Policy. 

The Privacy Policy explains how Meridian processes Personal Data.

The Website Terms and Conditions govern use of the Website.

This Cookie Policy explains how Cookies and similar technologies are used on the Website.

17. Contact Us

If you have any questions regarding this Cookie Policy, please contact:

The Meridian Awards Ltd
71 to 75 Shelton Street
Covent Garden
London
WC2H 9JQ
United Kingdom

Email: support@themeridianawards.com 

Closing Statement

Meridian aims to use Cookies and similar technologies transparently, responsibly and only where they support the operation, improvement or lawful promotion of the Website and the Awards.

Users should be able to understand what technologies are being used, why they are used and how their preferences can be managed.

Document Information

Document: Cookie Policy
Version: 1.0
Effective Date: 1 July 2026
Last Updated: 1 July 2026
Document Owner: The Meridian Awards Ltd