Skaters are eligible to compete on the senior Grand Prix circuit if they had reached the age of 15 before July 1, 2017. They were also required to have earned a minimum total score at certain international events.
Assignments
The ISU announced the preliminary assignments on May 26, 2017.
At each event, skaters earned points toward qualifying for the Grand Prix Final. Following the sixth event, the top six highest-scoring skaters/teams advanced to the Final. The points earned per placement were as follows:
Placement
Singles
Pairs/Ice dance
1st
15
15
2nd
13
13
3rd
11
11
4th
9
9
5th
7
7
6th
5
5
7th
4
—
8th
3
There were originally seven tie-breakers in cases of a tie in overall points:
Highest placement at an event. If a skater placed 1st and 3rd, the tiebreaker is the 1st place, and that beats a skater who placed 2nd in both events.
Highest combined total scores in both events. If a skater earned 200 points at one event and 250 at a second, that skater would win in the second tie-break over a skater who earned 200 points at one event and 150 at another.
Participated in two events.
Highest combined scores in the free skating/free dancing portion of both events.
Highest individual score in the free skating/free dancing portion from one event.
Highest combined scores in the short program/short dance of both events.
Highest number of total participants at the events.
If a tie remained, it was considered unbreakable and the tied skaters all advanced to the Grand Prix Final.
^"村上大介 急性肺炎でＮＨＫ杯欠場" [Daisuke Murakami misses NHK Cup with acute pneumonia] (in Japanese). Sponichi Annex. November 6, 2017.
^"羽生結弦がＮＨＫ杯欠場 ＧＰファイナル５連覇幻に コーチ明かす「結弦は泣いていた」" [Yuzuru Hanyu will miss the NHK Cup, 5th consecutive GP Final win; Coach reveals "Hanyu was crying"] (in Japanese). Yahoo! Japan. November 10, 2017. Archived from the original on 2017-11-10. Retrieved 2017-11-10.
^"피겨 차준환, 그랑프리 6차대회 포기…평창 2차선발전 '올인'" [Cha Jun-hwan, giving up the Grand Prix 6th contest ... Pyeongchang Second Lane Development 'All In'] (in Korean). Donga. November 16, 2017. Archived from the original on 2017-11-17. Retrieved 2017-11-16.
