Good Grief! The process is not an open one and you know it; however, the award is credible and the holders are looked to as experts in their field of award. the absence of a "visible process" does not make it any less credible. Its the people who make it credible, not the process.That seems a bit circumlocutory to me. ;-)
Unless your award resulted from crony-ism rather than displayed expertise in your target area, I'd expect you to agree with me. Actually I think I may even have referred to you elsewhere as a positive example or how a credible award should work. You yourself said that a former recipient can rise again if they contribute strongly and meet the standard. What standard? I think we actually may agree on this. ;-)
"... They ne'er cared for us
yet: suffer us to famish, and their store-houses
crammed with grain; make edicts for usury, to
support usurers; repeal daily any wholesome act
established against the rich, and provide more
piercing statutes daily, to chain up and restrain
the poor. If the wars eat us not up, they will; and
there's all the love they bear us."
-- Shakespeare: Coriolanus, Act 1, scene 1