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Last updated August 31, 2026

This Privacy Policy describes how the Houston Borscht Cook-Off (“we,” “us,” “our”) handles information in connection with borschtcookoff.com (the “Site”). We built this Site to be as simple as possible about data, and this policy reflects that: we collect very little directly, and most of what happens with your information happens on third-party services we link out to.

Information we collect directly

The Site itself does not currently have any working forms that collect and store personal information. If that changes (for example, if we add a working newsletter sign-up or contact form), we will update this policy to describe what’s collected and how it’s used before that feature goes live.

Like most websites, our web server automatically logs standard technical information for every visit — things like IP address, browser type, and pages requested — for security and troubleshooting purposes. We don’t use this information for tracking, marketing, or advertising, and we don’t run any analytics or advertising trackers on this Site.

Information handled by third parties

Several things you can do on this Site are actually handled by outside services, each with their own privacy practices:

  • Donations, sponsorships, and team payments are processed entirely by PayPal. When you click a Donate, Become a Sponsor, or payment button, you’re taken to PayPal’s own secure page to complete your transaction. We never see or store your payment details. See PayPal’s Privacy Statement.
  • Team registration is handled through a Google Form. Information you submit there is collected by Google on our behalf, governed by Google’s Privacy Policy.
  • Social media links (Instagram, Facebook) take you to those platforms, which have their own privacy policies covering anything you do there.

Cookies

This Site does not use tracking or advertising cookies. The only cookies that may be set are standard technical ones from WordPress itself, and those only apply if you log in to the site’s administrative area — they don’t affect regular visitors.

Children’s privacy

This Site is not directed at children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children.

Changes to this policy

If how we handle information on this Site changes — for example, if we add a working contact or newsletter form — we’ll update this page and revise the date at the top.

Contact us

Questions about this policy? Reach us at [email protected].