The students for the team are selected through a comprehensive process. The newspaper invites the 12 high schools in its circulation area to nominate top students. The circulation area includes Daviess, Hancock, McLean, Muhlenberg and Ohio counties in Kentucky and South Spencer High School in Indiana. The schools may use whatever process works best for them to narrow the nomination to a single student in each area. The newspaper provides the criteria for the judges to consider.
Nominees also fill out a questionnaire and submit an essay.
The four judges are educators with no connection to any of the high schools. Academic performance in the subject for which the student is nominated is the primary criterion for the judges' consideration. But the judges also look for extracurricular accomplishments, including academic competitions, in the subject areas. The judges meet at the Messenger-Inquirer and come to a consensus of one winner in each category.