The World Health Grand Award adopts an independently operated review system. The entire evaluation procedure is carried out by a dedicated review committee under unified review guidelines to ensure a stable, impartial and traceable awarding process.
The Review Committee consists of seven permanent members: one Committee Chair and six professional panelists, alongside a full-time review secretary. The secretary is only responsible for administrative tasks including collecting application materials, organizing review meetings and filing documents throughout the whole cycle. The secretary takes no part in scoring or voting and shall not interfere with final review outcomes. Panelists fall into two categories: core internal members selected from backbones of WHIA’s professional committees, and external industry experts nominated by industry segments and vetted by the organizer. All panelists must meet rigid prerequisites: over five years of professional practice or academic research experience in the health sector, proven industry influence and strict adherence to professional ethics. Panelists serve two-year terms and are eligible for one consecutive reappointment at most. Vacancies will be filled by the Association, with the full updated panel roster published publicly for social supervision.
A stringent recusal mechanism is enforced throughout evaluations to prevent bias arising from conflicts of interest. Any panelist whose affiliated entity or immediate family member submits an application in the current round must declare the conflict in advance and withdraw from that cycle’s evaluation. Failure to comply with recusal requirements will result in the invalidation of all scores submitted by that panelist and the immediate revocation of their panel membership. Prior to each evaluation round, all panelists sign a confidentiality commitment governing all submitted materials.
Four core principles govern the entire evaluation process. First, openness and transparency: evaluation criteria, panel roster, review workflow and final winner lists are all released publicly. Second, fairness and impartiality: all applicants are assessed against identical evaluation benchmarks free from outside interference. Third, professional independence: each panelist submits scores solely based on personal professional judgment without representing the stance of their affiliated institutions. Fourth, quality-over-quantity principle: no fixed quota is set for each award tier; any tier may remain vacant if no applicant meets the qualifying threshold.
Evaluations are conducted on a regular quarterly cycle. Application portals open on the 1st day of the first month of each quarter and close for material submission on the 15th day of the final month of the quarter. Full evaluations conclude by quarter-end, followed by a five-working-day public notice period. Award results take formal effect upon the completion of the publicity phase without valid objections filed.