The first qualification (there are a total of five qualifications), from the Northcutt text:
"The candidate must remove himself from the gene pool.
The prime tenet of the Darwin Awards is that we are celebrating the self-removal of incompetent genetic material from the human race. The potential winner must therefore render himself deceased, or at least incapable of reproducing. If someone does manage to survive an incredibly stupid feat, then his genes de facto must have something to offer in the way of luck, agility, or stamina. He is therefore not eligble for a Darwin Award, though sometimes the story is too entertaining to pass up and he earns an Honorable Mention."
I stand slightly corrected. Thank you, Chemist.