The jury of the Fields Prize is elected by the Executive Committee of the League of Nations, and is generally chaired by the President of the International Mathematical Union. The judges will select at least two Fields Prize winners representing all fields of mathematics (four are highly recommended).

One of the requirements of the Fields Medal for winners is that all winners should not be over 40 years old. French mathematician Searle, winner of the Fields Prize in 1954, holds the record of the minimum age when winning the prize: 27 years old, and the winner must be under 40 before New Year's Day.