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
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“additional” benefits to the scientific community (e.g. young talent, service in positions of
responsibility, contributions to other fields or to society in general)