The award recipients of the VIVA Awards are chosen by juries appointed each year by the Board of Trustees of the Jack and Doris Shadbolt Foundation.
The foundation does not accept applications as part of its process. Well in advance of the announcement of awards, the Board of Trustees appoints a selection panel of persons familiar with the current art scene in the province.
While the number of deserving artists is far larger than the resources of the foundation, the selection committee makes every effort to identify through its process a pair of artists whose belief in what they do is reflected in their longstanding commitment to their work and the artistic life of Canada.