Privacy Policy

1. Who we are

SA EMS Awards (Pty) Ltd, registration number 2026/686117/07, operates the SA EMS Awards website and awards programme. For purposes of the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (“POPIA”), SA EMS Awards may act as the responsible party for personal information it determines how and why to process.

2. Personal information we may collect

• your name, email address and telephone number;
• company, organisation or employer information you provide;
• the name of a nominee, team or organisation and the award category selected;
• nomination motivations, supporting information and correspondence;
• partnership, sponsorship, media or general-enquiry information;
• technical information reasonably generated when you access the website, such as IP address, browser or device information, security logs and pages requested; and
• any other information you voluntarily send to us.

Do not submit unnecessary patient information

SA EMS Awards does not require patient medical records to accept a nomination. Please do not submit identifiable patient names, identity numbers, medical records, health information, confidential clinical records or identifiable accident-scene material unless you are lawfully authorised to disclose it and it is genuinely necessary. We may remove, redact, restrict or delete unnecessary sensitive information.

3. Why we process information

• receive, screen, verify and administer nominations;
• contact nominators, nominees, organisations and referees where appropriate;
• evaluate eligibility and supporting evidence;
• manage partnerships, sponsorships, media and stakeholder enquiries;
• respond to requests and provide website administration;
• protect the security, integrity and lawful use of the website;
• maintain records reasonably required for governance, dispute handling or legal compliance; and
• send awards updates where requested or where another lawful basis applies.

4. Lawful processing and consent

We process personal information only where there is a lawful basis to do so. Depending on the circumstances, this may include consent, steps taken at your request, legitimate operational needs that do not unjustifiably interfere with privacy, or compliance with a legal obligation.

5. Information about nominees and other people

If you provide information about another person, you should have a reasonable and lawful basis for doing so and should avoid excessive, confidential or irrelevant information. A nomination does not automatically authorise public publication of private information. Where additional permission is required for a finalist profile, photograph or detailed story, we may seek it before publication.

6. Sharing of information

We may share information only as reasonably necessary with authorised SA EMS Awards personnel, adjudicators or verification participants, professional advisers, hosting or technology providers, service providers supporting the awards, regulators, authorities or other parties where disclosure is lawful and necessary. Sponsorship does not give a sponsor automatic access to nomination data.

7. Cross-border processing

Some technology or hosting providers may process information outside South Africa. Where this occurs, we will take reasonable steps to use arrangements consistent with POPIA requirements and appropriate safeguards.

8. Retention

We keep personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, legitimate records of the awards programme, dispute handling, security, contractual requirements or legal obligations. When information is no longer required, we may securely delete, destroy, anonymise or de-identify it.

9. Security

We take reasonable technical and organisational steps to protect information against loss, unauthorised access, interference, alteration, disclosure or destruction. No online system can guarantee absolute security.

10. Your rights

Subject to POPIA and other applicable law, you may request access to personal information we hold about you, ask for correction or deletion where appropriate, object to certain processing, request information about our processing, or raise a complaint.

11. Children

The awards may recognise students, young professionals or other persons under 18 in appropriate circumstances. Where personal information about a child is involved, additional legal requirements may apply and we may request consent or authority from a competent person.

12. Direct marketing

We do not intend to send unsolicited electronic marketing contrary to applicable law. Where we send optional updates or promotional communications, recipients may request that those communications stop.

13. External websites

Our website may link to third-party websites. Their privacy practices are controlled by those third parties.

14. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy as the awards programme, website or legal requirements evolve. The current version will be published on this page.