The Pickleball Hall of Fame

A) Purpose

The Pickleball Hall of Fame recognizes individuals who have achieved exceptional results in pickleball play throughout their career, as well as those who have made extraordinary contributions to the growth, development, and leadership of the game. All candidates should have also demonstrated a high level of character, integrity, sportsmanship, and consideration for others and thus earned the respect and admiration of their peers.

B) Categories- Competitor & Contributor

1. Competitor Category: No minimum and a maximum of 6 players will be chosen by the nominating committee and sent to the selection committee.
2. Contributor Category: No minimum and a maximum of 3 contributors will be chosen and sent to the selection committee.

C) Criteria

1. Anyone can submit an online application form nominating an individual from the above two categories (a candidate may cross over multiple categories). The person nominating a candidate will be responsible for submitting the appropriate application form properly filled out by July 8. Upon submission, an email will be sent to confirm the receipt of your application.
2. Competitor: To be considered Hall of Fame worthy, a candidate in the player category should have dominated for at least a 5-year period of time. Examples of dominance would be consistently being on the podium at the US Open, the USAPA/USA Pickleball Nationals, PPA, or APP. Only those competing at the highest level will be considered.
3. Contributor: To be considered Hall of Fame worthy, a candidate should have impacted the sport of pickleball on the national or international level for at least 8 years. Individuals who may have worked tirelessly in a local region to help grow the sport or get new courts built, while invaluable to that area and our sport, are not considered Hall of Fame worthy contributors.
4. In the application for both competitor and contributor, a required minimum of 300 words must be included in the essay portion describing the biography and special honors or contributions that the candidate possessed to be considered for the Pickleball Hall of Fame. The nominating committee reserves the right to reject any application that is incomplete or insufficient. For those nominating a candidate to be considered for the PHOF, please do your research and provide a thorough application so the nominating committee can conduct due diligence when voting for your candidate. If an application is deemed incomplete, it will be rejected via email and the individual nominating a candidate will be asked to redo the application and resubmit it for consideration

D) The Nominating Committee

1. The nominating committee will be comprised of 9 individuals who will review all application forms submitted. By majority vote, two co-chairpersons will be selected by the nominating committee and will direct the processes of the nominating committee.
2. Three nominating committee members will be replaced every five years. The three being replaced will be determined by those who voluntarily choose to end their term of service or who have served the longest terms. On November 15, an announcement will be made that new applications are being accepted to fill the 3 positions on the nominating committee. Final selections will be made by January 1 of the following year. An existing committee member whose position is being replaced can fill a vacancy if no qualified individuals have applied.
3. The nominating committee will go through a two-step voting process.
   1. All applications will be reviewed, and a secret ballot will be distributed to all committee members to vote on the list of semi-finalists.
   2. Discussions will take place on the merits of all semi-finalists and a final secret ballot will be sent out whereby the list of finalists will be sent to the selection committee.
4. Applicants who do not meet the criteria as stated above, will not be considered. Applicants who are not selected for induction may submit a new application in any future year without limit
5. Conflict of interest: Committee members must recuse themselves from voting or scoring on any candidates that they are related to, are coaching, are business partners with, have financial ties to, or any candidate for whom they have submitted a nomination form. Failure to recuse will invalidate any votes or scoring.

E) The Selection Committee

1. The selection committee will be comprised of 7 members. By majority vote, two co-chairpersons will be selected by the selection committee and will direct the processes of the selection committee. The committee will review the candidates recommended, and by a vote of 75%, select no more than five individuals in any year for induction into the PHOF. Decisions should be made by August 15 to provide enough time for gift production.
2. Three selection committee members will be replaced every five years. The three being replaced will be determined by those who voluntarily choose to end their term of service or who have served the longest terms. On November 15, an announcement will be made that new applications are being accepted to fill the three positions on the selection committee. Final selections will be made by January 1 of the following year. An existing committee member whose position is being replaced can fill a vacancy if no qualified individuals have applied.
3. The selection committee will discuss the merits of all candidates on the final list provided by the nominating committee. Through secret ballot up to three players will be inducted and up to 2 contributors will be inducted.

F) Announcements

The President of the Pickleball Hall of Fame will make a personal phone call to congratulate the year’s new inductees. Once all inductees have been notified, public announcement will be made in August of the nominating year.

G) The Year’s Inductees

The year’s inductees will be presented with a plaque, a jacket, and ring at the Pickleball Hall of Fame celebration dinner/banquet. A photo and bio of each inductee will be permanently displayed on the PHOF website.