Selection Process

Selection Process

The Vetting Committee of the Ultimate Hall of Fame (HoF) leads the selection process to elect Hall inductees in the following categories; Player, Contributor, and Special Merit. Since the inception of the Hall in 2004, the Vetting Committee reviews input from the community, voters, along with the results of the prior year selection, to identify and incorporate incremental process improvements.

Step 1: identifying nominees that fit the peak playing year timeframe

Step 2: peer review and vote to identify a slate of candidates

Step 3: community input requested on the final slate of candidates

Step 4: vote-eligible members of the Hall of Fame select the new class of inductees

Player Category

Players with a distinguished record of achievement at the national and/or international level(s) in their primary division of play are eligible to be nominated as candidates in the Player category. Consideration of Hall-worthiness is focused on what the player nominees did “at their best against the best” during the peak playing years’ time frame under consideration for the current year’s selection process.

There are 4 stages that Player Candidates pass through as they are considered for induction into the Ultimate Hall of Fame. The first stage requires being Nominated in their primary division of play (Women’s, Open, or Mixed). Once nominated, the player must complete forms that detail the candidates’ competitive career. Division-based Peer Pools then participate in a rank-choice vote on the divisional candidates to inform the selection of a Final Slate of Player Candidates. The division-based Peer Pools include players who were actively playing at the national/international level during the Peak Playing Years under consideration, as well as Consultants; coaches, organizers, administrators, reporters/media, or others who have first-hand knowledge about the top tier competitors in that division during the Peak Playing Years under consideration.

In the second stage, the Vetting Committee uses the division-based Peer Pool voting results, along with candidate competitive history and letters of reference, to determine the final slate of candidates. 

In the third stage, the final slate of candidates is announced to the ultimate community with a public request for comment in the Call to the Community.

The fourth and final stage involves two rounds of voting by eligible members of the Hall to select the Player inductees from each division. Eligible voting members of the Hall must participate in the first round of Player candidate voting to vote in the second round. Player candidates must receive an affirmative vote from at least a two-thirds majority (66%) of the eligible Hall voters to be selected for induction into the Ultimate Hall of Fame.

2026 Selection Year Timeline

Peak Playing Years: 2010 – 2018

Player Eligibility: FMP – Born in 1989 or earlier    MMP – Born in 1988 or earlier

Nomination period opens April 15, 2026:

– Player division nominations close Sunday, May 10, 2026

– Contributor nominations close on Sunday, May 17, 2026

Player Peer Pool & Player Nominee Short Forms & References due NLT Sunday, May 17, 2026

Player division Peer Review Completed by Monday, June 1, 2026

Call to the Community Completed by August 1, 2026

2026 Contributor Category – Product Innovators

The Hall has identified 4 key areas in this broad category; Administrators/founders (2024), Coaches (2025), Organizers, and Promoters (2026). For 2026, the Promoters category has been redefined to focus on innovation.

Product Innovators:

There was a time when there was no ultimate industry. When cool uniforms,  technical athletic gear, sharp action photography, quality videos, timely live streaming, training materials/content, and sophisticated media coverage were sparse. Product innovators had a big idea, and they went for it, investing significant time and resources to make ultimate highly visible, amply equipped, better looking, and increasingly legitimate. These visionary entrepreneurs created something from nothing that changed the sport in meaningful ways. When we look back at their contribution, we can easily connect the dots between what they did and some of the best things happening in our sport and its culture today.

The 2026 process will focus on product innovators who had significant impact prior to and including 2010.

Product Innovators will be evaluated based on these CRITERIA:

  • Original Entrepreneurship: Did they conceive and invent a product that was truly unique and useful at the time? Was it entirely new or a creative improvement of an existing product? Did it effectively respond to and help resolve a current challenge in the ultimate community or capitalize on an emergent opportunity?
  • Catalytic Change: Did they create something that, through the years, proved to be a significant breakthrough for the sport? Did their early innovation set the stage for future enterprises to advance their product or area of business? Has this product had additional (even unexpected) positive impact on ultimate’s development, growth, appeal, or influence?
  • Enhanced Community Experience: Did the product enrich and improve the experience of ultimate players, on and/or off the field? Did a broad sector of the ultimate community benefit from this innovation? Has this product (and those that came after) become core/vital to the sport, its culture, and community?
  • Gold Standard Business: If there were other competing products, was this one considered best in class? Did the leader(s) and the company/business have a stellar reputation and brand that was widely respected and admired? Were ultimate players proud to be aligned with it? Even if only for a limited period, to what extent did the business thrive?
  • Culture Alignment: Did their business practices reflect ultimate’s culture and community-based values? Was the product, brand, and business model a good fit for ultimate?
Contributor Nominations are due No Later Than May 17, 2026

Product Innovators in the sport of ultimate are honored in the Contributor category and can be nominated through the Contributor Nomination Form. The Contributor Advisory group can also nominate Contributor/Product Innovator candidates and thereafter evaluates the nominations and recommends contributor candidates to the full Vetting committee for consideration for the Final Slate.

There are no minimum or maximum contributor candidates required for the final slate; in some years, there are no Contributor candidates. Contributor candidates are voted on in the final round of eligible Hall member voting and must receive an affirmative vote of at least two-thirds majority (66%) from the voters to be selected and thereafter be inducted into the Ultimate Hall of Fame.

The Hall will focus on each contributor category every 4 years; alternating with Organizers/Founders, (2024), Coaches (2025), Product Innovators (2026), and Administrators (2027). 

Should a community member want to nominate a Product Innovator/contributor, please use the Contributor Nomination form. 

Special Merit Candidates

Candidates for Special Merit are reviewed separately from candidates in the other categories. The Vetting Committee will recommend a Special Merit candidate, if they so choose. The Special Merit candidate has a high supermajority voting requirement to ensure a very high standard of “specialness”; candidates will be approved if they receive at least 90% support from eligible Hall voters.

To nominate a player for the Ultimate Hall of Fame or as a member of the Player Peer Pools:

Women’s Division Candidate Forms

Open Division Candidate Forms

  • 2026 Open Division Nominee/Reference Form – due May 10/May 17, 2026
  • 2026 Open Division Nominee/Candidate Short Form – due May 17, 2026
  • 2026 Open Division Player Candidate Questionnaire – due July 15, 2026

Mixed Division Candidate Forms

  • 2026 Mixed Division Nominee/Reference Form – due May 10/May 17, 2026
  • 2026 Mixed Division Nominee/Candidate Short Form – due May 17, 2026
  • 2026 Mixed Division Player Candidate Questionnaire – due July 15, 2026

Contributor Form

Researching Competitive History

Use these Search Tools for Competitive History X Player/Teams:
– Ultimate-Reference   For USA Ultimate National Championship data, search by CLUB + select Men, Women or Mixed; click on the team name to review roster, if available. OR enter individual candidate name in Search to obtain competitive history/results. Can search World X division.
– Ultimate Frisbee History in the US (Seidler site)  Search X Club, Player division,  and obtain Club Nationals Championship Results/Scores for top 4 teams from ’81-’21. Can also search this site by Worlds, USA Beach, Worlds Beach, and Championship Rosters for US and Worlds
– World Games X year with medal results X location– National Teams of Ultimate – Hartti database // Includes a Player Directory with individual look up with International Results

Important Resources 

A synopsis of historical adjustments and improvements to the selection process was published in 2022; please refer to the Resources posted below for additional detail.