The 10 EB-1A criteria,
explained in plain English.

Honors that reflect selection by independent peers or recognized bodies in your field — internal company awards do not typically qualify. Selectivity, scope, and the identity of the award sponsor matter.

• Best Paper / Best Paper awards at peer-reviewed conferences
• Fellow-grade society awards with nomination and election
• Industry awards with independent panels of judges
• National or international competition prizes

Not all awards are equal. An award with thousands of recipients selected by broad committees reads differently from a competitive, juried prize. Quality and selectivity matter far more than count.

Associations where admission demands achievement, election, or nomination by peers, with rigorous criteria applied uniformly — not open-enrollment memberships.

• Fellow-grade IEEE, Fellow ASM, Fellow INFORMS, etc.
• Sigma Xi (by nomination)
• National Academy of Inventors
• Memberships limited to a percentage of the field

Paid open-access memberships do not typically qualify. Look for associations that publish written criteria, elections, or nomination processes — and retain the association bylaws.

Articles written by third parties, in publications with independent editorial control, about you and your professional work.

• Trade publication profile in a major outlet or trade press
• Radio, podcast, or video segment featuring you
• University or institution press releases about your work
• Syndicated columns quoting your research or expertise

Self-published posts, articles authored by you, SEO content you wrote, and material in vanity-press outlets are generally not qualifying. Authorship is criterion (vi). This one is about others writing about you.

Independent review of the scholarly, creative, or professional output of peers, usually in a structured role retained for the review of others.

• Peer review for journals or conference program committees
• Grant review panels for NSF, NIH, DoE, or similar bodies
• Thesis / dissertation committee service
• Juried exhibition, design awards juries

Keep copies of invitations, review acknowledgments, the publication masthead or panel rosters, review completion emails where you have them. Consistency over time matters.

A contribution to the field — beyond simply participating in research, and can be in work you did.

• Patents, especially commercially adopted
• Algorithms, prototypes, or methodologies that became industry norms
• Frameworks, specifications, or standards work adopted by the field
• Key products, foundational studies, or highly cited methodological work

This is a heavily argued criterion. You need impact evidence: adoption, citation, third-party discussion, testimonials from independent practitioners, and comparison to existing field norms.

Scholarly or professional authorship in outlets with editorial review, circulation or an audience in your field.

• Peer-reviewed journals (Web of Science / Scopus indexed preferred)
• Books or book chapters with peer review
• Authored columns or op-eds in field press or major media
• White papers published by respected industry publishers

Citation context, journal impact, article-type, and co-author prominence are all relevant to how the criterion reads. Keep DOIs, acceptance letters, publication pages, and independent third-party citations where possible.

Public display in curated exhibitions, showcases, or presentations of works—selected by curators or show organizers in the arts, design, or creative disciplines.

• Solo or group gallery / museum exhibition
• Biennials, triennials, curated festival selections
• Juried design shows, public installations
• Selected conference showcases with published catalogs

Most relevant to creative and artistic fields. Less typical for engineering, software, and many STEM profiles — but research showcases, invited exhibits, demos at conferences with juried selection can apply when curated.

A role of leadership or uniquely critical function — employment, establishment or that stands out in relation to the employing entities.

• Executive, VP-level roles at named firms or research labs
• Founder / CTO of venture-backed or revenue-generating companies
• Named chairs, institute directorships, lab leads
• Lead engineer or technical fellow roles at industry standards bodies

You need to show both that you held a critical or leading position AND the employer is distinguished. Org standing comes from press, clients, reputation, size, rankings, funding, or publications.

Compensation materially above the median for practitioners with similar experience, in the same field, in the same geography.

• Base salary, bonus, commissions, equity packages with values
• IRS / W-2 statements and supporting comp surveys
• Recruiter survey data such as Dice, Robert Half, BLS, Glassdoor, Payscale
• Executive compensation tables

Best when you can show data for the top percentile in your specialty—not top-of-band, against peers at similar seniority. Geography, function, size of employer, and stage all matter. Compare apples to apples.

Commercial performance in the performing arts shown by box office receipts, recordings, streams, sales, or related commercial indicators.

• Box office receipts or tour revenue figures
• Gold, platinum, or streaming certifications
• Playbill runs, extended engagements, revival productions
• Licensing, synch placements, royalty data

Specific to performing arts. Not usually pursued by STEM profiles. Engineering, research, tech, consulting candidates usually do not file on this criterion. Typical in profiles in film, music, theatre, dance.