Email from ICANN

Monday, 28 July 2025

ICANN Community Digest

Click here to learn more about the New gTLD Program [danh45uab.cc.rs6.net]

Applicant Support Program [danh45uab.cc.rs6.net]

Registry Service Provider Evaluation Program [danh45uab.cc.rs6.net]

The ICANN organization Policy Development Support function publishes this twice-weekly digest

to help ICANN community groups track requests and follow updates.

Do you have any ideas for improving the ICANN Community Digest?

Write to us at policyinfo@icann.org!

Table of Contents

ICANN84

· NEW: Apply Now! ICANN84 Community Childcare Grants

· NEW: ICANN org Finance and Planning Updates during ICANN84

· Sign up for the session slot for ICANN84 Newcomers, including Fellowship and NextGen@ICANN Programs participants

· Now Available: ICANN84 Frequently Asked Questions Page

Next Round

· Next Round Outreach, Engagement, and Communications Snapshot

· ICANN Materials Provide Prospective New gTLD Applicants Clarity on Key Topics

· Next Round Champions Toolkit Available in the Six ICANN Languages

· Call for ASP Mentors

Webinars

· NEW: ICANN Webinar Series for Europe: How Time Zones are Coordinated

🚨 Action Items 🚨

· CLOSES THURSDAY: ICANN Opens Nomination Period for Dr. Tarek Kamel Award for Capacity Building

· ICANN85 Fellowship Application Round Now Open

· ICANNWiki Seeking Volunteers

Public Comment

· CLOSES TOMORROW: Root Zone Label Generation Rules Version 6 (RZ-LGR-6)

· CLOSES TOMORROW: Maximal Starting Repertoire Version 6 (MSR-6)

· Draft North America Engagement Plan 2026-2030

Events

· These events occur in July and August 2025.

ICANN84

NEW: Apply Now! ICANN84 Community Childcare Grants

Grants of up to $750 per family are available for ICANN Public Meeting participants with children 12 years old or younger who meet the criteria and will incur expenses associated with babysitting or childcare services.

DEADLINE: Friday, 12 September 2025, at 23:59 UTC

Read more. [danh45uab.cc.rs6.net]

NEW: ICANN org Finance and Planning Updates during ICANN84

The ICANN org Finance and Planning Teams seek opportunities to engage with the ICANN communities during ICANN84 or via webinars to present on Finance- and Planning topics.

Presentations will cover topics such as:

- Financial Results: FY25 Year-to-Date

- High Level FY27 Planning Process, Structure, and Assumptions

- ICANN’s Strategic Plan for FY26–30

- Other current topics

Please contact planning@icann.org to request a briefing with your Community group.

Sign up for the session slot for ICANN84 Newcomers, including Fellowship and NextGen@ICANN Programs participants

Want to introduce your group’s work to ICANN84 Annual General Meeting newcomers, including Fellowship and NextGen@ICANN Programs Participants? Sign up for a 30 minute session on 25-26 October, 2025. These outreach sessions are part of the ""Get To Know ICANN Community"" Onboarding Program for Newcomers and are an opportunity for every SO/AC to share information with the ICANN Meeting newcomers and highlight the important work that your group does within ICANN.

For any additional questions, please contact ICANN Fellowship Program Manager, Siranush Vardanyan at siranush.vardanyan@icann.org.

DEADLINE: August 7, 2025

Now Available: ICANN84 Frequently Asked Questions Page

Please find the FAQs for ICANN84 here [danh45uab.cc.rs6.net].

Next Round

Next Round Outreach, Engagement, and Communications Snapshot

We’re excited to introduce the Next Round Snapshot, a new monthly recap that highlights key updates shared during the IRT Outreach meetings. This report covers recent activities across the Applicant Support Program (ASP), Registry Service Provider (RSP) evaluation, regional and topical engagement, web traffic stats, and communications milestones. Developed in response to GAC feedback, this snapshot supports visibility and alignment across teams working on the New gTLD Program: Next Round.

📅 Published monthly following each IRT Outreach meeting

📎 Check out the inaugural April/May edition here [danh45uab.cc.rs6.net].

For questions, contact globalsupport@icann.org.

ICANN Materials Provide Prospective New gTLD Applicants Clarity on Key Topics

ICANN org is developing supplemental, complementary materials to aid prospective generic top-level domain (gTLD) applicants in understanding the Next Round application requirements, and how to navigate the application and evaluation processes.

Blog [danh45uab.cc.rs6.net].

Key Topic Overview Documents. [danh45uab.cc.rs6.net]

Next Round Champions Toolkit Available in the Six ICANN Languages

ICANN is working with the community to identify potential Applicant Support Program (ASP) applicants – especially in regions that are currently under-represented in ICANN. If you are interested in helping to raise awareness among your own contacts or communities, please use the materials in the Next Round Champions Toolkit [danh45uab.cc.rs6.net].

To stay up to date on the New gTLD Program: Next Round and ASP, join the mailing list: nextroundinfo@icann.org. ASP leads, targets, and ideas can be sent to engagement.newgTLDprogram@icann.org.

Call for ASP Mentors

ICANN is seeking volunteer mentors who would like to offer their expertise to supported applicants as part of the ASP in the new gTLD Program: Next Round [danh45uab.cc.rs6.net]. ICANN is looking for mentors who can share insights and experience across ICANN Languages (Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, or Spanish) to support diverse gTLD applicants.

Mentors may play a role in: advising applicants on navigating the gTLD application process and DNS industry; identifying resources; providing guidance; sharing experiences as appropriate; and helping supported applicants navigate the ICANN community and Public Meetings. If you or someone in your network might be interested, please refer to the mentor registration announcement [danh45uab.cc.rs6.net] for more information.

Questions about the ASP or becoming a supported applicant Mentor can be sent to globalsupport@icann.org.

Webinars

NEW: ICANN Webinar Series for Europe: How Time Zones are Coordinated

Date: Wednesday 27 August 2025 (12:00 - 12:30 UTC)

Read more. [danh45uab.cc.rs6.net]

Action Items

CLOSES THURSDAY: ICANN Opens Nomination Period for Dr. Tarek Kamel Award for Capacity Building

It recognizes ICANN community members for significant efforts in developing aptitude in areas related to ICANN's mission.

Deadline: 31 July 2025 at 23:59 UTC

Read more. [danh45uab.cc.rs6.net]

ICANN85 Fellowship Application Round Now Open

The ICANN Fellowship Program is open to all applicants interested or already engaged in various aspects of ICANN's work, such as policymaking, Domain Name System operations, and the security and stability of the global Internet.

DEADLINE: 22 August 2025 at 23:59 UTC.

Read more. [danh45uab.cc.rs6.net]

ICANNWiki Seeking Volunteers

ICANNWiki is seeking volunteers to assist with creating and editing articles and content for the site. Do you want to help? Getting started is as simple as requesting an account [danh45uab.cc.rs6.net]. Then, make sure to read the short content guide [danh45uab.cc.rs6.net] to get a feel for what belongs in the wiki. Also, feel free to take a look at some data source suggestions [danh45uab.cc.rs6.net] on where to find reliable data. Happy editing!