The competition, which honours the most effective Polish companies in the Large and Very Large Pearl category, is based on the results of a questionnaire sent out to Polish companies and compiled by the Institute of Economics of the Polish Academy of Sciences. The award winners are companies who have made the most effective use of resources in the past twelve months. Patronage over the competition is extended by the Polish Minister of the Economy Waldemar Pawlak and President of the Polish Academy of Sciences Professor Michal Kleiber.

During the ceremony, the winners of Honorary Pearls will also be announced in the following categories: economy, science, culture, patriotic and social values.