Award winners are selected from each of the three major areas - Export of Products, Export of Business and Professional Services, Suppliers and Service Providers to Exporters.

The NCE which serves Sri Lankan exporters, and known as the 'Voice of the Exporters', has been conducting this event without a break since 1993. It encourages, recognises and rewards excellence in exporters and service providers to exporters, who make an indispensable and vital contribution to sustain and expand the economy.

The structure, and content of the awards scheme and evaluation criteria has been continuously refined over the years with the inclusion of new features, to become the benchmark for similar award schemes in Sri Lanka.

Awards in respect of the various product and services sectors will be presented in the form of Gold, Silver and Bronze trophies to applicants who reach the minimum standard set by an independent professional panel of judges, drawn from key organisations such as the Central Bank of Ceylon, Department of Commerce, Sri Lanka Customs, Institute of Chartered Accountants, Institute of Policy Studies, Universities, Chartered Institute of Marketing, the Coordinating Secretariat for Science Technology and Innovation (COSTI), representing the various disciplines related to exports.

This year all applications will be first scrutinised by a Technical Committee before selection of award winners by the panel of judges.

Field visits to the enterprises of applicants and one-on-one discussions will be undertaken.

The overall winner in each of the product or services sectors, comprising all enterprises in the small, medium, large, and extra large categories, will receives the 'Outstanding Exporter Gold Award.'