An international jury selects the winners, and films are evaluated based on their cinematic quality and how well they reflect their cultural backgrounds.

It is a sister organisation to the European Film Academy and Premios PLATINO del Cine Iberoamericano.

Members of the International Jury in the past include Tran Anh Hung, Annemarie Jacir, Anocha Suwichakornpong, Garin Nugroho, Diana El Jieroudi, Eric Khoo, Mike Downey, Rubaiyat Hossain, Alexander Rodnyansky, Nia Dinata, Deepak Rauniyar, Jill Bilcock, He Saifei, Adolfo Alix Jr, Asghar Farhadi, Anthony Chen, Hiam Abbass, Lu Yue, Maciej Stuhr, Rajit Kapur, Shyam Benegal, Malini Fonseka, Nansun Shi, David Puttnam, Sergey Dvortsevoy, Salman Aristo, Gina Kim, Samuel Maoz, Kaori Momoi, Tahmineh Milani, Jan Chapman, Sasson Gabai, Tian Zhuangzhuang, Aparna Sen, Bruce Beresford, Huang Jianxin, Shabana Azmi and Jafar Panahi.

The following types of film are eligible for submission of movies:[3] As of 2024[update] following accomplishments are recognised with the following awards:[3][4] In addition, exceptional success is recognised with special awards:[3] Feroz Abbas Khan for Gandhi, My Father Hooman Behmanesh for Those Three Jeon Do-yeon for Secret Sunshine Erkan Can for Takva: A Man's Fear of God France Germany Waltz with Bashir Nuri Bilge Ceylan for Three Monkeys Eran Riklis and Suha Arraf for Lemon Tree Denmark United States Defamation Canada Last Train Home A Separation United States I Was Worth 50 Sheep Buta Denis Osokin for Silent Souls United Kingdom Netherlands In My Mother's Arms Norway United Kingdom The Act of Killing Lu Yue for Back to 1942 Hong Kong Dong Jinsong for Black Coal, Thin Ice Hungary Cevahir Şahin, Kürşat Üresin for Cold of Kalandar Last Men in Aleppo Australia Qatar Netherlands Kamila Andini for The Seen and Unseen 12th Tel Aviv on Fire France Netherlands Hideho Urata for A Land Imagined 13th Switzerland Canada Rachel Leah Jones & Philippe Bellaiche forAdvocate Rodd Rathjen for Buoyancy A Dark, Dark Man Beanpole Beanpole 14th A Hero Drive My Car Singapore France Thailand GermanyNguyễn Vinh Phúc for Taste 15th 16th On November 29, 2018, the 12th Asia Pacific Screen Awards presented the Best Original Score Asia Pacific Screen Award for the first time.

[5] This new category is intended to "honour more excellent films and the musicians who contribute so profoundly to the emotions of the movie," according to APSA Chairman Michael Hawkins.