The fellows of the RSC were nominated by a committee directed by the Principal of McGill University, John William Dawson, and by the former Premier of Quebec, Pierre Chauveau.

The Royal Society of Canada currently consists of more than 2,000 fellows: men and women from all branches of learning who have made contributions in the arts, the humanities, and the sciences, as well as in Canadian public life.

The RSC is composed of three bilingual academies, including a broad range of scholarly disciplines and artistic fields.

The College of New Scholars, Artists, and Scientists of the RSC was established in 2014 to represent emerging generation of intellectual leaders in Canada.

It elects 80–100 members each year, who showed high level of accomplishments at the early stage of their careers.

At the time of election, members of the College must have received a PhD or equivalent degree within the past 15 years.

This closer relationship facilitates the nomination of new fellows from all Canadian universities and provides a means for the Society to sponsor scholarly activities at institutions of all sizes across Canada.

Twenty Society awards are offered on an annual or biennial basis and consist of either medals or certificates, some of them with cash prizes.