Refund Policy

Refund Policy — Golden Women Awards

Effective Date: January 1, 2026

This Refund Policy outlines the terms and conditions under which refunds of nomination fees paid to Golden Women Awards, operated by Golden Tree Events LLC, may be considered. Please read this policy carefully before submitting your nomination. By completing payment of a nomination fee, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Refund Policy.

1. General Policy — Nomination Fees Are Non-Refundable

Nomination fees paid to Golden Women Awards are generally non-refundable once a nomination has been submitted and payment has been confirmed. This policy reflects the substantial administrative, operational, and judging resources that are committed immediately upon receipt of a nomination submission.

The moment you submit your nomination, our team begins the administrative review process: verifying the completeness of your submission, assigning it to the appropriate judging category, and scheduling it for expert review. These activities incur fixed costs that cannot be recovered regardless of the ultimate outcome of the judging process. The non-refundable nature of nomination fees is therefore an operational necessity, not a punitive measure.

We strongly encourage all prospective nominators to review the judging criteria and nomination guide carefully before submitting to ensure that the nomination is well-prepared and the nominee meets all eligibility requirements.

2. Exceptional Circumstances — Refunds at Our Discretion

Notwithstanding the general non-refundable policy, Golden Women Awards recognizes that genuine exceptional circumstances may arise that make it impossible for a nominator to proceed. In such cases, we will consider refund requests at our sole discretion. Circumstances we may consider include:

Duplicate Payments: If a technical error results in a duplicate payment being charged for the same nomination, the duplicate charge will be refunded in full without question. Please contact us immediately if you believe you have been charged more than once.

Serious Medical Emergency: In the case of a serious medical emergency affecting the nominee that makes continuation of the nomination impossible (supported by appropriate documentation), we will review the request sympathetically and may offer a full or partial refund or a credit toward a future awards cycle.

Program Cancellation: In the unlikely event that Golden Women Awards cancels an entire awards cycle without rescheduling it, all nominators for that cycle will be entitled to a full refund of their nomination fees.

Technical Payment Errors: If a confirmed payment error occurs through our payment processor that results in an incorrect charge, we will investigate and correct the charge promptly.

Ineligibility Identified by Us: If we identify that a nominee is clearly ineligible and this was not disclosed in the original nomination, and we determine not to proceed with evaluation, we may offer a partial refund of up to 50% of the nomination fee at our discretion.

3. No Refunds After Shortlisting Announcement

Once shortlisting announcements have been made for a given awards cycle, no refunds will be issued under any circumstances for nominations from that cycle. By this stage, the full judging process has been completed and significant resources have been expended. This cutoff applies regardless of whether the nominee is on the shortlist or not.

The shortlisting announcement date for each cycle is published on our website and communicated to all nominators by email. We recommend all nominators take note of this date.

4. How to Request a Refund

To request a refund under exceptional circumstances, please follow these steps:

Step 1 — Contact Us by Email: Send your refund request to awards@goldentreeawards.com with the subject line "Refund Request — [Your Nomination Reference Number]."

Step 2 — Include Required Information: Your email must include your full name, the nominee's name, your nomination reference number, the award category applied for, the date of payment, the amount paid, and a clear explanation of the exceptional circumstances that support your refund request. Supporting documentation should be attached where applicable.

Step 3 — Await Our Response: Our team will acknowledge your request within five (5) business days and provide a decision within thirty (30) calendar days of receiving all required information.

5. Processing Time for Approved Refunds

Where a refund request is approved, the refund will be processed within thirty (30) calendar days of the approval decision. Refunds will be issued to the original payment method used at the time of nomination. Please note that depending on your bank or payment provider, the credit may take an additional three (3) to ten (10) business days to appear in your account after we initiate the transfer.

We are unable to issue refunds to a different payment method than the one originally used, except in exceptional circumstances where the original payment method is no longer available, in which case we will work with you to find an appropriate alternative.

6. Package Upgrades and Downgrades

Upgrades: You may upgrade your nomination package at any time prior to the nomination deadline by paying the difference between your current package and the upgraded package. Please contact us at awards@goldentreeawards.com to request an upgrade. Upgrades are not available after the nomination deadline has passed.

Downgrades: Downgrading your nomination package is not permitted once payment has been made. The package selected at the time of payment is the package that will be applied to your nomination. If you have selected a package that includes benefits beyond the standard entry, those benefits are reserved for you from the moment payment is confirmed.

Package Transfers: In exceptional circumstances, you may request to transfer your nomination and associated package to a different eligible nominee. Transfer requests must be made prior to the evaluation phase and are subject to our approval. Please contact us to discuss your specific situation.

7. Currency and Exchange Rate Policy

All nomination fees are charged in the currency displayed on our nomination portal. If you pay in a different currency, your bank or payment provider will apply the exchange rate at the time of the transaction. In the event of an approved refund, we will refund the original amount charged in the original currency. We are not responsible for any currency conversion losses or fees charged by your bank or payment provider.

8. Contact for Refund Queries

If you have any questions about this Refund Policy or wish to discuss a specific situation before submitting your nomination, please do not hesitate to contact us. We are happy to address your concerns:

Golden Women Awards — Nominations Support
Email: awards@goldentreeawards.com
Address: The Binary by Omniyat, Office 1909-203, 19th Floor, Business Bay, Dubai, UAE
WhatsApp: +971 585 856 2014
Response Time: Within 5 business days