All P.Eng. licence holders of Professional Engineers Ontario (PEO) in good standing, who have demonstrated achievements significantly above the standards of the profession, with the exception of members serving on PEO Council, the Board of Directors of the Ontario Society of Professional Engineers (OSPE) and the OSPE Awards Committee (OAC), are eligible to receive an Ontario Professional Engineers Award (OPEA). A licence holder from one of the excluded groups above may be nominated for an award after 12 months have elapsed from their participation in the group.

The OSPE Awards Committee may move a nomination from one division or category to another, if it considers this to be more appropriate than the original submission.