How candidates are identified
Official public information about the 2026 referral approach.
Confidential industry-referral process
Recommend, verify, assess, confirm
For 2026, SWA approaches relevant institutions, professional associations, universities, diaspora organizations and knowledgeable industry sources to refer accomplished women for consideration. Referrals are leads for verification, not nominations approved for judging.
- 01
Recommend
The referring organization identifies the candidate, relevant category, key achievements and reliable sources.
- 02
Verify
SWA reviews eligibility and seeks reasonable evidence before preparing a standard nominee profile.
- 03
Assess
Approved nominee dossiers are assessed independently by assigned judges using category-authorized criteria.
- 04
Confirm
Results and final recognition follow the controlled institutional confirmation procedure.
Who refers
Invited participants only
Referral links are shared privately with authorized participants and are not published on this site.
Institutions
Relevant public and private institutions.
Professional associations
Bodies with knowledge of a field's leading practitioners.
Universities
Academic and research institutions.
Diaspora & industry
Diaspora organizations and knowledgeable industry sources.
What is never published
Candidate information is handled confidentially. SWA does not publish candidate dossiers, private referral submissions, judge materials or referral access links. Information submitted for professional assessment is not automatically public material.
What a referral is not
- A referral is not a nomination.
- A referral is not a shortlist decision.
- A referral is not an award.
- A referral does not guarantee nominee, finalist or recipient status.
Questions
Frequently asked
Answers drawn from SWA's official 2026 process information.
Institutions and professional bodies
Organizations with relevant knowledge may contact SWA directly
Explore the 2026 categories or write to the team.