The selection process for the FAO 100 Women was designed to ensure broad Member participation, geographic balance, transparency and consistency. A call for submissions was shared with all FAO Members and was also transmitted directly to each Member, with the maximum number of submissions allowed per country determined according to population size. In total, 131 Members submitted 609 nominations.

All nominations were first reviewed to verify compliance with the submission requirements and with the quota assigned to each country. Eligible submissions were then assessed and ranked by FAO senior management. Candidates were shortlisted based on the highest number of selections received from members of the Senior Leadership Committee, while respecting the maximum number of candidates to be selected.

The shortlisted candidates were subsequently reviewed through two rounds of deliberations by senior leadership. These discussions provided an additional level of assessment to ensure the overall quality, balance and representativeness of the final group. The final list of selected candidates was then approved by the Senior Leadership Committee, after which the successful candidates were formally informed of their selection.