The recipient of the «Otto Naegeli Prize» is chosen by a Scientific advisory committee, and the decision is reached through a multi-step process. The Scientific advisory committee is made up of previous awardees, who gather proposals for further consideration. No scientist may nominate him/herself. Evaluations of the candidates are solicited from national and international experts by the Scientific advisory committee.

A decision is reached by the committee based primarily on the following criteria:

• originality of the research
• scientific achievements to date
• potential for the future
• “additional” benefits to the scientific community (e.g. young talent, service in positions of
  responsibility, contributions to other fields or to society in general)