Eligibility Guidelines
Eligibility defines the standards and criteria for considering nominations to either the Hall of Honor or the Hall of Shame. These guidelines are intended to ensure that nominations are relevant, significant, and credible.
Determining Eligibility
The initial evaluation of a nominee's eligibility is conducted by the Honor and Shame Archive Board of Advisors. The Board carefully reviews each nomination to confirm that it meets the following basic criteria:
Relevance: The nominee must be clearly appropriate for induction into either the Hall of Honor or Hall of Shame.
Significance: The nominee's actions, achievements, or behaviors must demonstrate notable significance or impact.
Credibility: Supporting facts, evidence, or documentation provided must be reliable and verifiable.
Minimum Age: There is NO minimum age for “Hall of Honor” Inductees. There is however a minimum age requirement for Inductees into the “Hall of Shame” of 25 years old. (Please Read the Footnote below to understand our reason.)
While these guidelines serve as essential criteria, the Board of Advisors retains final discretion in determining eligibility.
Final Induction Process
After a nominee is confirmed as eligible by the Board of Advisors, the final decision for inclusion into either the Hall of Honor or Hall of Shame is determined by a majority vote of the Honor and Shame Archive community. Voting takes place through an official web-based polling system, ensuring community participation and transparency in the induction process.
Footnote: Why 25 Years Old?
The requirement that U.S. House of Representatives members be at least 25 years old was a deliberate decision by the Founders to balance youthful enthusiasm with political maturity. While 21 is widely recognized as the age of legal adulthood, the Founders believed that individuals needed more life experience before taking on the responsibility of shaping national policies.
We share this perspective and have established 25 as the minimum age for individuals to be held fully accountable for significant societal opinions and actions. This ensures that those engaging in serious discourse and decision-making have attained a level of maturity and experience necessary for meaningful and thoughtful societal contributions, or lack thereof.