How to Nominate a Future National Inventors Hall of Fame Inductee

Since 1973, the National Inventors Hall of Fame^® has inducted visionaries whose patented inventions have advanced our society and changed our lives. To ensure that we continue to honor great inventors who represent diverse backgrounds, fields and accomplishments, we invite the public to submit nominations.

As you think of all the inventions that have made your life easier, safer, healthier or more enjoyable, we encourage you to nominate an inventor who has made a difference for you. If your nominee is selected for a future National Inventors Hall of Fame Inductee class, their story will inspire generations through meaningful events, exhibits and education programs.

What Is the Nomination Process?

1. Identify a patent-holding inventor whose work is recognized as extraordinary in their field, is in widespread use and has had a major impact on the world
    
2. Visit our nomination page to tell us about your nominee, their invention and their impact
    
3. Submit your completed website form so your nominee can be considered for a future Inductee class

How Are Inductees Selected?

When you nominate an inventor, we ask for details including a description of their invention, how it solves a problem, what makes it novel and what kind of impact it has made. These details will help our panel of experts in science, technology, engineering and patents to evaluate the following:

Patent

Each nominee must hold a U.S. patent for an invention that is groundbreaking or has advanced their field in remarkable ways. There should be important "firsts" or breakthroughs associated with their invention.

Progress

A nominee’s invention needs to have been widely adopted and proven to have contributed significantly to scientific understanding and progress, and to both societal and economic well-being.

We seek nominees who have improved the quality of our daily lives, created new jobs or markets, and opened new fields of research and innovation. When you complete your nomination, it’s helpful to include the uses and benefits of the invention as well as statistics like sales or usage numbers, the financial benefits for your nominee’s employer stemming from their invention, and the number of jobs created by the company and the invention itself.

If your nominee is an entrepreneur, we want to know about their company history and annual revenue, how many people they employ and how their company ranks among competitors. It’s important that this information be quantified by statistics from reputable sources such as industry market reports, SEC Form 10-K filings or academic research.

Perseverance

A nominee should have an inspiring story to tell. The National Inventors Hall of Fame values stories of persistence, resourcefulness, overcoming challenges and developing solutions to help others.

Passion

Each nominee should be a leader in their field who understands the importance of guiding and empowering the next generation of creators, innovators and entrepreneurs.

How Are Inductees Honored?

Each year’s National Inventors Hall of Fame Inductee class is honored at our Induction Ceremony and in exhibits at the National Inventors Hall of Fame Museum, our National Monument to Innovation^®. Inductees also inspire, inform and often become actively involved in every aspect of our mission. For instance, many Inductees choose to serve as Judges at our annual Collegiate Inventors Competition^®, providing valuable insight to student inventors competing for cash prizes and patent acceleration.

The lessons and stories of our Inductees also are shared with young innovators through nationwide PreK-12 invention education programs including Camp Invention^® and Invention Project^®. Many Inductees collaborate with our education team to develop curricula and personally visit program sites to offer their encouragement to children engaging in hands-on learning and creativity.

Share Your Nomination for a Future Class

The next National Inventors Hall of Fame Inductee will have many meaningful opportunities to share their story, inspire young innovators and add to their legacy — and it all starts with your nomination.

To help us build a more diverse family of Inductees who will serve as innovative role models for the next generation, nominate an inventor today.