360 degrees of Mississippi star power.
Want to get closer to the stars?
Take a walk through our iconic Hall of Fame. In this 360-degree exhibit, the tremendous impact of Mississippians in the arts and entertainment world will literally surround you.
As the grand centerpiece of The MAX, our Hall of Fame rotunda soars two stories tall, encircling visitors with a spectacular multimedia display.
This immersive, multisensory experience invites interaction and fuels imagination through touch screens, sound, and moving imagery.
Here, visitors of all ages will encounter faces, works, and stories of world-famous musicians, actors, and media personalities, visual artists, authors, and other arts and entertainment legends who trace their roots to Mississippi.
Just how many stars will you find in our Hall of Fame? Some say too many to count. But it's fun to try.
Hall of Fame Honorees
Every two years, new inductees will join this list of influential men and women as we celebrate the best of Mississippi's artistic talents!
The Mississippi Arts + Entertainment Experience Hall of Fame Selection Process
While The Mississippi Arts + Entertainment Experience (The MAX) exhibits honor artists and their work – the famous and not-so-famous – the Hall of Fame is reserved for arts and entertainment icons and trailblazers who have made a recognized and lasting contribution to Mississippi, the nation and the world.
The MAX Hall of Fame inducts five artists biennially from the genres it represents – cultural arts, music, performing arts, visual arts, and writing. The Hall of Fame is not “category” driven, meaning it is not a requirement that inductees are representing each of the five genres. Instead, the most deserving artists across all five genres that meet the eligibility criteria are inducted every other year.
Induction happens in two phases: 1) Nomination of Candidates 2) Election of Candidates
Phase 1: Nomination of Candidates
The candidates are selected from a pool of almost 900 individuals from the Hall of Fame’s five art disciplines. Candidate eligibility is based upon a solid connection to the State of Mississippi, either by birthright, moving to the state at an early age, or living in Mississippi for a significant portion of their career. A significant portion of their career means not just the number of years but that they lived in Mississippi at a time when a major moment in their career occurred.
The Nominating Committee, made up of seven experts across the state, reviews the lists of potential candidates that were created in previous years, including any additions/deletions, and narrows the field down to 25 individuals or organizations to be nominated for inclusion on the Hall of Fame biennial ballot.
Phase 2: Election of Candidates
The ballot is sent to the Panel of Electors, which includes the seven members of the Nominating Committee and 11 other experts across the State/nation and is published online for the general public to cast their votes for five Hall of Fame inductees from the Top 25 candidates nominated.
The votes from the Panel of Electors and the highest votes from the online voting are tabulated by an independent accounting firm which sends The MAX the final results. The MAX staff never sees the ballots, nor do they have nominating or voting rights. The 2024 inductees are revealed during a press conference on February 7, 2024.
The induction ceremony takes place on January 23, 2025, at the MSU Riley Center. The gap between the announcement of new inductees and the induction ceremony allows ample time to make arrangements with the inductees or their representatives to be present at the ceremony and update The MAX Hall of Fame rotunda with its newest members.