The European Commission, on the basis of strict scientific criteria, chooses the members of the Jury, including the President. They are drawn from both academia and industry. Normally, up to one third of the Members of the Jury are replaced each year.

Judging takes place in two steps.

1) A preliminary review conducted by members of the Jury before the Contest. At this stage a Jury member may seek expert advice if the subject is outside his or her area of expertise.

2) A final assessment on the basis of interviews and discussions with the contestants during the exhibition.

During the preliminary review members of the Jury use the following criteria:

Preliminary marks are given in the following categories:

At the beginning of the EU Contest, the President receives the preliminary marks from the members of the Jury and decides which members of the Jury should visit which projects at the exhibition. Each project exhibit is visited by at least 3 members of the Jury for interviews. Detailed discussions with all the contestants involved takes place during Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. If necessary, the President shall arrange a timetable.

During the final assessment the Jury meets, and on the basis of both preliminary assessment and the interviews, selects the prize winners. Following an overview delivered by the President of the Jury, the prize winners are announced at the award ceremony.

The President of the Jury may, at any time, inform the Commission where, in the opinion of the Jury, any of the following is apparent: (i) contestants have received judged undue assistance from experts; (ii) contestants have had undue privileged access to resources; or (iii) the contestants have clearly plagiarised ideas from others. In such a case, the Commission will withdraw the project from the competition, and even after the event demand if necessary, the return of any prize monies.

The decision of the Jury is final.