Golden Voice East Africa Awards

01 Acceptance of These Terms

These Terms of Use ("Terms") constitute a legally binding agreement between you ("User", "you", or "your") and Sauti ya Dhahabu Global, the operator of the Golden Voice East Africa Awards platform ("GVEA", "we", "us", or "our").

By accessing our website, creating an account, submitting a nomination, casting a vote, purchasing a ticket, or attending a GVEA event, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms and our Privacy Policy, which is incorporated into these Terms by reference.

If you do not agree to these Terms, you must not use our platform or services. We reserve the right to update these Terms at any time. Continued use of the platform after any update constitutes your acceptance of the revised Terms.

These Terms apply to: all visitors, registered users, nominators, nominees, voters, ticket purchasers, event attendees, and any other person who accesses or uses any part of the GVEA platform, website, or services.

02 About Golden Voice East Africa Awards

Golden Voice East Africa Awards is a recognition and empowerment initiative operated under Sauti ya Dhahabu Global. GVEA celebrates outstanding talent, leadership, community impact, and excellence across East Africa and the global African diaspora, spanning 30+ countries.

Our platform provides services including but not limited to: online nominations for award categories, public voting, ticket sales for award ceremonies and events, nominee profile publication, and related communications and content.

GVEA reserves the right to modify, suspend, or discontinue any aspect of the platform or its services at any time, with or without notice, and without liability to users.

03 Eligibility

By using our platform, you represent and warrant that:

You are at least 18 years of age, or you are a minor using the platform under the supervision and with the consent of a parent or legal guardian who agrees to these Terms on your behalf.
You have the legal capacity to enter into a binding agreement in your jurisdiction.
You are not barred from using our services under the laws of Kenya or any other applicable jurisdiction.
All information you provide to us is accurate, current, and complete.

Where a nominee or participant is under the age of 18, any registration, nomination submission, or account creation must be completed by a parent or legal guardian. See Section 8 for our full minors policy.

04 User Accounts

Certain features of our platform — including submitting nominations, casting votes, and purchasing tickets — require you to register for an account. When you create an account, you agree to the following:

4.1 Account Information

You must provide your accurate phone number, email address, and a profile picture at the time of registration. These are the only personal details we collect directly from you.
You are responsible for keeping your account information accurate and up to date.
You must not impersonate another person or create a misleading account identity.

4.2 Account Security

You are solely responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account credentials and for all activity that occurs under your account.
You must notify us immediately at support@goldenvoiceeastafricaawards.com if you suspect any unauthorised use of your account.
We will not be liable for any loss or damage arising from your failure to maintain the security of your account.

4.3 One Account Per Person

Each individual may register only one account. Creating multiple accounts to circumvent voting limits, nomination restrictions, or any other platform rules is strictly prohibited and may result in immediate account suspension and disqualification.

4.4 Account Termination

We reserve the right to suspend or permanently terminate any account at our sole discretion, without prior notice, where we believe these Terms have been violated or where account activity poses a risk to platform integrity.
You may request deletion of your account at any time by contacting us at info@goldenvoiceeastafricaawards.com.

05 Nominations

GVEA accepts nominations for award categories during officially announced nomination periods. By submitting a nomination, you agree to the following rules and conditions:

5.1 Nomination Eligibility

Nominees must meet the specific eligibility criteria published for each award category at the time of the nomination period.
Nominations may be submitted by the nominee themselves or by a third party (nominator) on the nominee's behalf.
Self-nominations are permitted in applicable categories as specified in our nomination guidelines.

5.2 Accuracy of Information

By submitting a nomination, you warrant that all information provided — including the nominee's name, biography, achievements, and supporting statements — is accurate, truthful, and not misleading.
GVEA reserves the right to verify nomination information and to disqualify any nomination found to contain false, misleading, or unverifiable information.
Submitting a fraudulent or malicious nomination is a violation of these Terms and may result in account suspension and reporting to relevant authorities.

5.3 Consent to Publish

By submitting a nomination (whether as the nominee or as a third-party nominator), you confirm that the nominee has been informed of and consents to having their name, profile picture, and relevant information published on the GVEA platform, in award materials, and in associated media coverage.
For nominees under the age of 18, the nominator confirms that a parent or legal guardian has provided this consent. See Section 8.

5.4 GVEA's Discretion

GVEA reserves the right, at its sole discretion and without obligation to give reasons, to accept, reject, shortlist, or remove any nomination at any stage of the awards process.
Submission of a nomination does not guarantee acceptance, shortlisting, or an award.

06 Voting

Public voting is a component of certain GVEA award categories. By participating in voting, you agree to the following:

6.1 Voting Rules

Each registered user is entitled to cast a limited number of votes as specified in the voting instructions for each award cycle. Vote limits are strictly enforced.
Votes must be cast personally by the registered account holder. Votes cast by automated means, bots, scripts, or any artificial mechanism are strictly prohibited.
Purchasing, selling, exchanging, or otherwise trading votes is strictly prohibited and constitutes fraud.
Organising coordinated vote manipulation campaigns — including but not limited to vote farming, vote buying, or mass account creation — is prohibited and may be reported to law enforcement.

6.2 Integrity Monitoring

GVEA employs technical security measures including IP address logging, device fingerprinting, and usage pattern analysis to detect and prevent fraudulent voting activity. By voting, you consent to this monitoring as described in our Privacy Policy.
GVEA reserves the right to disqualify votes, invalidate voting results, and take further action — including account suspension and disqualification of nominees — where vote manipulation is detected or reasonably suspected.
All integrity decisions made by GVEA are final.

6.3 Weighting & Final Results

Public votes may be one of several factors considered in determining award outcomes. GVEA may apply a judging panel, weighting criteria, or editorial oversight in combination with public voting results. The specific methodology for each category will be disclosed in the relevant award guidelines.
GVEA's final decisions on award outcomes are binding and not subject to appeal by users, nominees, or nominators.

07 Tickets & Events

7.1 Ticket Purchases

Tickets to GVEA events are sold subject to availability. All ticket sales are final unless otherwise stated at the time of purchase.
By purchasing a ticket, you agree to the specific event terms and conditions published at the time of sale, including any dress code, conduct requirements, and age restrictions.
Payment processing is handled by secure third-party payment providers. GVEA does not store your full card details.

7.2 Refunds & Cancellations

Refund eligibility is determined by the terms stated at the time of ticket purchase. Generally, tickets are non-refundable except where an event is cancelled or significantly altered by GVEA.
In the event of a GVEA-initiated cancellation, ticket holders will be notified and offered a refund or transfer to a rescheduled event where applicable.
GVEA is not responsible for any costs incurred by attendees (travel, accommodation, etc.) in connection with a cancelled or rescheduled event.

7.3 Event Conduct

All attendees are expected to conduct themselves in a respectful and lawful manner at GVEA events. GVEA reserves the right to refuse entry to or remove any individual from an event for conduct that is disruptive, abusive, unlawful, or otherwise in violation of these Terms.
Photography and video recording at events may be subject to restrictions. Follow all on-site instructions from GVEA staff and security.
GVEA events may feature professional photography and filming. By attending, you acknowledge that you may appear in event photographs or recordings used for promotional purposes. If you do not wish to appear, please notify event staff.

7.4 Minor Attendees

Persons under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a parent, legal guardian, or responsible adult at all GVEA events at all times. See Section 8 for our full minors policy.

08 Children & Minors (Under 18 Years)

GVEA welcomes the participation of young people in all applicable award categories. We are committed to upholding the highest standards of child safety and welfare consistent with the Children Act, 2022 (Kenya), the Data Protection Act, 2019 (Kenya), and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

8.1 Parental or Guardian Responsibility

GVEA does not physically register any individual on its platform. Registration is a self-service process completed online. Where an account belongs to or represents a person under 18, we operate on the reasonable legal assumption that the account has been created and is managed by a parent or legal guardian.
By registering an account or nominating a person under 18, the registering adult confirms they are the parent or legal guardian of the minor and accepts these Terms on the minor's behalf — including consent to the limited collection and use of the minor's data (phone number, email address, and profile picture) as described in our Privacy Policy.
Parents and guardians are responsible for supervising their child's interactions with the GVEA platform and events at all times.

8.2 Publication of Minor Nominees

The names and profile pictures of nominees under 18 will only be published on the GVEA platform and in associated materials where this falls within the consent given at registration.
We will never use a minor's image or personal information in a manner that is exploitative, harmful, or inconsistent with their dignity.

8.3 Right to Request Removal

If you are a parent or legal guardian and believe that a minor's data has been registered on our platform without your knowledge or consent — or if you wish to withdraw consent already given — you have the right to request the immediate removal of that data.

Contact us at info@goldenvoiceeastafricaawards.com with the subject line "Minor Data Deletion Request", including the minor's name and the registered email address or phone number. We will confirm removal within 14 days.

If you are under 18: Please have a parent or guardian manage your account and review these Terms on your behalf. If you believe your information was registered without a parent or guardian's knowledge, please ask them to contact us immediately.

09 User Conduct

By using our platform, you agree that you will not engage in any of the following prohibited activities:

Using the platform for any unlawful purpose or in violation of any applicable local, national, or international law or regulation.
Harassing, threatening, defaming, or abusing any individual, nominee, voter, GVEA staff member, or other user in any manner.
Submitting false, misleading, or fraudulent nominations, votes, or any other information to GVEA.
Attempting to gain unauthorised access to any part of the GVEA platform, server, database, or user account.
Introducing malware, viruses, or any other harmful code to the platform.
Scraping, crawling, or using automated tools to extract data from the platform without our prior written consent.
Reproducing, distributing, or commercially exploiting any GVEA content without our express written permission.
Engaging in any activity that disrupts, degrades, or impairs the performance of the platform or its infrastructure.
Impersonating GVEA, its staff, nominees, or any other person in a manner that is false or misleading.
Engaging in any campaign of vote manipulation, including vote buying, vote farming, or coordinated inauthentic behaviour.

Violation of these conduct rules may result in immediate account suspension, permanent banning from the platform, disqualification from the awards, and where applicable, reporting to relevant law enforcement authorities under the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act, 2018 (Kenya).

10 Intellectual Property

10.1 GVEA's Intellectual Property

All content on the GVEA platform — including but not limited to the GVEA name, logo, awards branding, website design, text, graphics, award category names, event names, photography, video content, and compiled nominee profiles — is the intellectual property of Sauti ya Dhahabu Global or its licensed contributors, and is protected by copyright, trademark, and other applicable intellectual property laws.

You may not copy, reproduce, republish, upload, post, transmit, or distribute any GVEA-owned content without our prior written consent, except for personal, non-commercial viewing purposes.

10.2 Award Names & Branding

The names "Golden Voice East Africa Awards", "GVEA", and "Sauti ya Dhahabu" are proprietary identifiers of Sauti ya Dhahabu Global. You must not use these names in any way that implies endorsement, affiliation, or sponsorship without our express written permission.
Nominees and winners may reference their GVEA nomination or award status for personal and professional purposes (e.g. on a CV or social media profile) using the phrasing specified in our winners' guidelines.

11 Your Content & Submissions

When you submit content to the GVEA platform — including nomination text, biography information, profile pictures, or any other materials — you grant GVEA a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide, perpetual licence to use, reproduce, modify (for formatting purposes), publish, translate, and distribute that content in connection with the awards programme, including in event materials, press releases, the GVEA website, and social media channels.

You retain ownership of any content you submit. By submitting, you confirm that you have the right to grant the above licence — including any third-party content such as photographs of nominees.
You confirm that your submission does not infringe the intellectual property, privacy, or other rights of any third party.
GVEA reserves the right to remove any user-submitted content that violates these Terms, is offensive, defamatory, or otherwise inappropriate, at our sole discretion and without notice.

12 Privacy

Your use of the GVEA platform is also governed by our Privacy Policy, which explains the limited personal data we collect (phone number, email address, and profile picture, plus server-side technical logs for security), how we use it, and your rights regarding that data.

Our Privacy Policy forms an integral part of these Terms and by accepting these Terms you also acknowledge and accept our Privacy Policy. Please read it carefully before using our platform.

13 Disclaimers

13.1 Platform Availability

The GVEA platform is provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis. We make no warranty or representation, express or implied, that the platform will be uninterrupted, error-free, secure, or free from viruses or other harmful components. We reserve the right to carry out maintenance or updates that may temporarily affect availability, with or without prior notice.

13.2 Accuracy of Content

While we take reasonable steps to ensure the accuracy of information published on the platform — including nominee profiles — we cannot guarantee that all content is complete, current, or error-free. Nominee information is submitted by third parties and we rely on the accuracy of those submissions. We accept no liability for errors or inaccuracies in user-submitted content.

13.3 Third-Party Links & Services

Our platform may contain links to third-party websites or services (including payment processors and social media platforms). These are provided for convenience only. GVEA has no control over the content, privacy practices, or reliability of third-party sites and accepts no responsibility for them. Access to third-party sites is at your own risk.

13.4 Award Outcomes

GVEA makes no guarantee that any nomination will be accepted, shortlisted, or result in an award. All award decisions are made at GVEA's sole discretion and are final. Public voting results are one of several factors that may be considered and do not alone determine outcomes.

14 Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, GVEA, Sauti ya Dhahabu Global, and their respective officers, directors, employees, agents, and partners shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages arising from or in connection with:

Your use of, or inability to use, the GVEA platform or any of its services.
Unauthorised access to or alteration of your account or submissions.
Any errors, omissions, or inaccuracies in platform content.
The conduct of any other user, nominee, or third party in connection with the platform.
Any costs incurred in relation to event attendance (including travel and accommodation) in connection with cancelled or rescheduled events.
Loss of data, business, revenue, goodwill, or anticipated savings.

Where liability cannot be excluded by law, our total liability to you for any claim arising out of or in connection with these Terms shall not exceed the amount (if any) paid by you to GVEA in the 12 months preceding the claim.

Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits our liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence, fraud, or any other matter that cannot be excluded by law under the laws of Kenya.

15 Suspension & Termination

GVEA reserves the right to suspend, restrict, or permanently terminate your access to the platform and any associated services at any time and without prior notice if:

You breach any provision of these Terms.
We reasonably believe your account or activity poses a risk to platform integrity, other users, or the reputation of GVEA.
We are required to do so by law or a competent authority.
You engage in vote manipulation, fraudulent nominations, or any other form of platform abuse.

Upon termination, your right to use the platform ceases immediately. We may retain your data as required by law or as described in our Privacy Policy. You may request deletion of your account data by contacting us, subject to our legal retention obligations.

Sections of these Terms that by their nature should survive termination (including Sections 10, 11, 13, 14, and 16) shall survive any termination of your access to the platform.

16 Governing Law & Dispute Resolution

16.1 Governing Law

These Terms and any dispute or claim arising out of or in connection with them (including non-contractual disputes or claims) shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Republic of Kenya.

16.2 Jurisdiction

Subject to Section 16.3 below, you agree to submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Kenya for the resolution of any dispute arising out of or in connection with these Terms or your use of the GVEA platform.

16.3 Dispute Resolution Process

Before commencing formal legal proceedings, you agree to attempt to resolve any dispute with us informally by contacting us at info@goldenvoiceeastafricaawards.com. We will make good-faith efforts to resolve the matter within 30 days. If the matter cannot be resolved informally, either party may proceed to formal dispute resolution as permitted by law.

16.4 International Users

GVEA operates across multiple countries in Africa and the global diaspora. If you access our platform from outside Kenya, you do so at your own initiative and are responsible for compliance with the laws of your local jurisdiction. These Terms shall nevertheless be governed by Kenyan law.

17 Changes to These Terms

We may revise these Terms from time to time to reflect changes in our services, platform features, legal requirements, or operational needs. When we make material changes, we will:

Update the "Last Updated" date at the top of this page.
Notify registered users via email where practicable.
Display a prominent notice on our website or platform.

Your continued use of the GVEA platform after the effective date of any revised Terms constitutes your acceptance of those changes. If you do not agree with the revised Terms, you must stop using the platform and may request account deletion.

We encourage you to review these Terms periodically. The most current version will always be accessible at goldenvoiceeastafricaawards.com/terms.

18 Contact Us

If you have any questions about these Terms of Use, wish to report a breach, or need to make a formal complaint, please contact us through the following channels:

General Inquiries info@goldenvoiceeastafricaawards.com

Technical Support support@goldenvoiceeastafricaawards.com

Legal & Compliance info@goldenvoiceeastafricaawards.com

We aim to respond to all formal enquiries within 10 working days. For urgent matters relating to child safety, account security, or platform abuse, please mark your message "URGENT" in the subject line.

Related Documents: These Terms should be read together with our Privacy Policy. Both documents form the complete legal agreement governing your use of the GVEA platform.