Several different methods of selection are used, depending upon the nature of the sport and the degree of organizational functionality or interest in the sport's state governing body, if such a body even exists. 

Arctic Winter Games Team Alaska athletes and teams will be selected in one of these ways:

1. By a single statewide tryout event, to which athletes from all over the state will travel to try out.
2. By a series of statewide tryouts or competitions to which athletes from all over the state will travel to compete or try out.
3. By a series of regional tryout events, one held in each of a number of regions appropriate to the sport, with a predetermined quota selected from each regional tryout event.
4. By a series of regional tryout events, one held in each of a number of regions appropriate to the sport, with athletes selected from all tryouts without specific quotas for any specific region.
5. By an application process, where the Sport Coordinator solicits athletes around the state to indicate their interest in being selected to the team.  The Sport Coordinator, in conjunction with the coaches, then makes a subjective selection from those who have applied.  Some objective criteria may be applied during this selection process.
6. By “postal” competition, where athletes compete in a timed event in their own locale, witnessed by others for purposes of verification, and then submit their performance to the Sport Coordinator.

Each sport must specify which of these methods will be used for selection.  In those sports where there is an organized, viable, functional state branch of the National Governing Body, that state organization may be assigned by Arctic Winter Games Team Alaska as the body responsible for team (and coach) selection.