The National Institute of Standards and Technology is in the process of selecting a new cryptographic hash algorithm through a public competition. The new hash algorithm will be referred to as “SHA-3” and will complement the SHA-2 hash algorithms currently specified in FIPS 180-3, Secure Hash Standard. In October, 2008, 64 candidate algorithms were submitted to NIST for consideration. Among these, 51 met the minimum acceptance criteria and were accepted as First-Round Candidates on Dec. 10, 2008, marking the beginning of the First Round of the SHA-3 cryptographic hash algorithm competition. This report describes the evaluation criteria and selection process, based on public feedback and internal review of the first-round candidates, and summarizes the 14 candidate algorithms announced on July 24, 2009 for moving forward to the second round of the competition. The 14 Second-Round Candidates are BLAKE, BLUE MIDNIGHT WISH, CubeHash, ECHO, Fugue, Grøstl, Hamsi, JH, Keccak, Luffa, Shabal, SHAvite-3, SIMD, and Skein.