SELECTION CRITERIA
Every submission — nominated or self-applied — is assessed against the same four criteria, applied consistently across all ten categories.
Concrete, evidenced achievement in their field — not potential or promise, but results that can be pointed to and verified.
The breadth of that impact — how many people, institutions, or markets it touches, across a country, a region, or the continent.
Whether they led rather than followed — pioneering work, original thinking, or standing at the front of their field.
How their work advances Africa and its people — economically, culturally, scientifically, or socially, on the continent or through the diaspora.
HOW SCORING WORKS
Each reviewer scores every submission against all four criteria. Scores are documented, and long lists are compiled per category before the final one hundred are selected. Every self-applicant receives written feedback with their assessment, whether selected or not.
Payment plays no part in scoring. The self-application fee covers editorial time only. It does not, and cannot, influence the outcome.
Think you — or someone you know — meets the standard?