The Induction Process

A 60-person international voting panel, which includes musicians, scholars and educators from 17 countries, is charged to nominate and select the most definitive artists in the history of jazz for induction into the Nesuhi Ertegun Jazz Hall of Fame. Criteria for nomination includes excellence and significance of the artist's contributions to the development and perpetuation of jazz.

The process works as follows:

• A seven-member Selection Committee submits names of jazz artists for consideration. Artists receiving votes from three or more Selection Committee members comprise the official ballot.
• The International Voting Panel then selects its nominees for inclusion in the Nesuhi Ertegun Jazz Hall of Fame.
• Artists receiving a pre-determined percentage or the majority of the International Voting Panel members' votes will be inducted into the Hall.