The SAF Selection program recognizes individuals and organizations that have achieved distinction in innovative, creative, and rigorous works, and generated new knowledge about our human past, which has significant relevance to the contemporary world and our common future. It aims to promote excellence and innovation in archaeological research by advancing the public awareness and appreciation of archaeology in order to protect and preserve the world’s archaeological resources and cultural heritage, and by encouraging international collaborations and partnerships among scholars and publics from different countries.

世界考古∙上海论坛评选计划强调考古发现和研究的创新性、新思想、新理念，以及对当今世界和人类共同未来的重要性。通过重大田野考古发现和重大考古研究成果的评选，推进考古学研究水平的提高和知识创新，提升公众对考古学重要性的认识，促进世界考古资源和文化遗产的保护，鼓励国际合作和交流。

The nomination and selection of major archaeological field-discoveries and research findings for the SAF will be made on a biennial basis. The nominated work must be original and directly derived from legal and scientific archaeological excavations or surveys or other rigorous archaeological research. The nominations will be reviewed and adjudicated by the Selection Committee according to the highest international standards of excellence and impartiality. The principal investigators of the selected nominations will be invited to the biennial Shanghai Archaeology Forum for a public presentation of their research.

重大田野考古发现和重大考古研究成果的推荐和评选每两年举行一次。被提名的田野考古发现和研究成果必须具有原创性，直接源自合法、科学的考古发掘、调查或是其它严谨的科学研究。论坛评审委员会将依据严格优选和公平公正的最高准则对推荐项目进行评选。邀请入选田野考古发现和研究的负责人参加两年一届的世界考古∙上海论坛，介绍其研究成果。

The SAF Selection program is made in two categories: major archaeological field-discoveries and major research findings which may be based on, although not themselves primarily comprising, fieldwork; no more than ten selections are made for each category. The former selection will be made for the archaeological excavation or survey that yielded major discoveries significantly furthering or even altering our knowledge of the human past, locally and/or globally. The latter selection will be made for the archaeological research that is based on rigorous studies on specific subjects and/or laboratory and scientific analyses. It may be a comprehensive and multi-year research project, or a major breakthrough in theory, method or technique, or a groundbreaking work of synthesis based on mostly updated archaeological findings.

评选项目包括重大田野考古发现和重大考古研究成果两类，每一类评选不超过10项。重大田野考古发现指那些能够加深、甚至改变我们对特定地区或全球范围古文化认识的田野考古调查和发掘。重大考古研究成果主要针对的是专项课题或以实验室科学分析为基础的考古研究。可以是多年综合性的研究项目，也可以是理论、方法、技术上的重大突破，抑或是主要基于考古新发现的突破性研究成果。