At the New Jersey Hall of Fame we hold some of the strictest criteria for Halls of Fame throughout the country. With only rare exceptions, nominees must have resided in New Jersey for a period of at least five years and must have made a signature contribution to New Jersey and beyond. We employ a three-phase process to identify our inductees.

Phase One is conducted with our Expert Panelists. A group of more than 30 of the most prominent individuals in their selected fields, from historians to journalists, sift through a master list of nominations. They then nominate and vote to create a list of 25 individuals in each category, which is then prepared for presentation to our Voting Academy.

Phase Two incorporates our Hall of Fame Voting Academy, a group of approximately 100 of the most prominent organizations throughout the state. This list is posted on the Hall of Fame website. The Academy is presented with the Expert Panelist list of the top 125 and votes to narrow the field to six individuals in each category.

Finally, the third phase incorporates the public. During the fall of each year the public is offered an opportunity to vote for whom they would like to see inducted into the Hall of Fame. Following the certification of the public vote, the New Jersey Hall of Fame inducts the top vote getter in each category, as well as one or two others as the board deems deserving. The public is able to vote on line through the Hall of Fame website. The prominent consulting and accounting firm of J.H. Cohn, LLP certifies the accuracy of this vote.