privacy policy

PocketPlots is operated by DartFrog Books ("DartFrog," "we," "us," "our"). This policy explains what information we collect when you use the PocketPlots website (the "Site") and how we use it.

When you submit a story, we collect:

When you pay the entry fee, payment is processed directly by Stripe. We receive confirmation that payment succeeded and a Stripe reference ID, but we never see or store your card number, expiry date, or CVC. Stripe's handling of your payment data is governed by Stripe's Privacy Policy.

We do not require account creation, so we do not collect passwords or set up user profiles beyond the submission record above. The Site uses a single, strictly necessary cookie to maintain a signed-in session (a JWT authentication token) for DartFrog staff admin access. We do not use analytics, advertising, or tracking cookies; if that changes, we will update this policy accordingly.

We use the information you provide to:

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties.

After a successful submission, we send an automated email containing your submitted story, the contest prompt, the winner announcement date, entry confirmation, and a link to submit another entry. This email also discloses that finalists/winners will be contacted by email and that DartFrog may share submissions publicly or on social media (see Section 6 of the Terms of Service).

We share information only as needed to operate the contest:

We do not share your email address publicly. Only your name (and story, if selected) is shown publicly.

We retain submission data (name, email, story, payment status) for as long as needed to:

Once winners are announced for a given contest, submissions that were not selected as a winner, finalist, or shortlisted entry are deleted. Winning, finalist, and shortlisted entries are retained and displayed publicly on the PocketPlots website and in the annual anthology.

Depending on where you live, you may have the right to request access to, correction of, or deletion of your personal information. To make a request, contact hello@pocketplots.com. Note that story text and author name that has been published (e.g. as a winner in the anthology or on the winners archive) may not be fully removable once published, per the license granted under the Terms of Service.

We accept entries from anywhere in the world. If the law where you live grants you additional privacy rights, we will honor requests made under those laws to the extent required.

PocketPlots is not directed at children under 18, and we do not knowingly collect information from children under 18.

We take reasonable measures to protect submission data, including secure transmission (HTTPS), restricted admin access, and not storing payment card details ourselves (handled entirely by Stripe). No method of transmission or storage is 100% secure.

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The "Last updated" date above will reflect the most recent revision. Continued use of the Site after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.

Questions about this policy can be sent to hello@pocketplots.com.