Who belongs in the New Jersey Hall of Fame? The New Jersey Hall of Fame (NJHOF) wants NJ students to participate in the decision-making process by entering the NJHOF Essay Contest. They’re asking students to nominate potential inductees—living or dead—to the New Jersey Hall of Fame. Nominations can include famous people or even ordinary citizens who do extraordinary things. Students should research or interview, if possible, the person they wish to nominate and write an essay no longer than 500 words.

Essays must be typed and double-spaced. The student must include their name, age, grade level as of April 1, 2022, address, phone number, parent/guardian’s name, school name, and school district. If the essay is a school project, the student should also include the name of the teacher who assigned the activity. Nominations must be postmarked by April 1, 2022, to be eligible.

Entries will be divided into two age categories: intermediate (grades 4 through 8) and high school (grades 9-12). Entries will be judged by a panel of NJEA and New Jersey Hall of Fame representatives. Winners will be notified by June 1, 2022. The winning students will be invited to participate in the New Jersey Hall of Fame Red Carpet Induction Ceremony in October 2022.

The winning students’ nominations will be forwarded to the New Jersey Hall of Fame Academy for consideration in 2023. The Academy’s 100 members, who represent a diverse group of New Jersey’s most prominent organizations and media outlets, will review nominees and ultimately select Hall of Fame nominees to be put forth for the public vote in the spring. NJEA serves on the Voting Academy.

Please send entries to New Jersey Hall of Fame Contest, c/o Meredith Barnes NJEA, PO Box 1211 Trenton, NJ 08607-1211, or email mbarnes@njea.org with NJHOF Essay Contest in the subject line.