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The ICANN organization Policy Development Support function publishes this twice-weekly digest
to help ICANN community groups track requests and follow updates.
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ICANN86
Information Sharing
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NEW: Chair’s Blog: Preview of the May Board Workshop
2026 Round
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NEW: New gTLD Program: 2026 Round Opens Today
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NEW: ICANN Opens Second Application Period for the 2026 Round RSP Evaluation Program
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NEW: ICANN 2026 Round Application System User Guide, Support Model Available
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NEW: ICANN Launches Webinar Series on 2026 Round Objections and Appeals Processes
- ICANN Offers Webinars, Resources to Support Prospective New gTLD Applicants
- ICANN Extends Deadline for Expressions of Interest: 2026 Round Independent Objectors
- 2026 Round TAMS Webinars and Newly Available FAQs
- Next Round Champions Toolkit Available in the Six ICANN Languages
Webinars
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NEW: Webinar Series on 2026 Round Objections and Appeals Processes
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TUESDAY: Review of Reviews CCG 5 May Webinars and Refined Proposal Outline
- ICANN to Host Question-and-Answer Sessions for New gTLD Applicants
🚨 Action Items 🚨
- ICANN Request for Proposal: Global Payroll Services
- ICANN Issues Request for Proposal: 2026 Round Auction
- ICANN Board Seeks Input on Additional Funds for 2026 Round Applicant Support Program
- ICANNWiki Seeking Volunteers
Public Comment
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CLOSES MONDAY: Draft Evaluation Guides for Community Priority Evaluation (CPE)
Events
- These events occur in April 2026.
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NEW: Chair’s Blog: Preview of the May Board Workshop
The first day of the workshop will include a 90-minute informational session on the domain name industry. This session will be open to the public as a Zoom webinar, and anyone interested in the domain name industry is invited to attend.
Date: Friday, 1 May 2026 | 9:15–10:45 British Summer Time (8:15–9:45 UTC)
Read more and register.
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NEW: New gTLD Program: 2026 Round Opens Today
New gTLDs have demonstrated their benefits in building brand trust, creating vibrant local digital ecosystems, and providing more intuitive navigation for users.
2026 Round Launch Page
Press Release
Announcement
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NEW: ICANN Opens Second Application Period for the 2026 Round RSP Evaluation Program
The second application period for the RSP Evaluation Program runs from 30 April to 12 August 2026.
Read more.
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NEW: ICANN 2026 Round Application System User Guide, Support Model Available
ICANN has made several resources available to help prospective applicants familiarize themselves with ICANN's TLD Application Management System (TAMS). This online system will be used by all applicants, evaluation panelists, and ICANN staff to submit, manage, and process new gTLD applications.
These resources are available to help prospective applicants prepare for the application completion and submission process through TAMS:
System user guide
Frequently Asked Questions
Demo videos
Q&A webinar recordings
Read more.
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NEW: ICANN Launches Webinar Series on 2026 Round Objections and Appeals Processes
ICANN will host a series of webinars in May 2026 that will provide an overview of specific grounds for objections and appeals, their processes, and timelines for the New gTLD Program: 2026 Round.
Announcement
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ICANN Offers Webinars, Resources to Support Prospective New gTLD Applicants
I would like to remind all interested parties of key resources we’ve made available, as well as to let you know how to get help, if needed, while completing your application.
Read more.
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ICANN Extends Deadline for Expressions of Interest: 2026 Round Independent Objectors
The Independent Objectors will file Community and Limited Public Interest objections and appeals and participate in mediation, where appropriate.
Deadline: Monday 11 May
Read more.
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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.
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.
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NEW: Webinar Series on 2026 Round Objections and Appeals Processes
Introduction: 19 May, 14:00 UTC | 26 May, 06:00 UTC
WIPO, Dispute Resolution Service Provider: 20 May, 14:00 UTC | 27 May, 06:00 UTC
International Chamber of Commerce, Dispute Resolution Service Provider: 21 May, 14:00 UTC | 28 May, 06:00 UTC
Read more and register.
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TUESDAY: Review of Reviews CCG 5 May Webinars and Refined Proposal Outline
The Reviews CCG will present a refined outline of what a refreshed ICANN reviews system could look like and respond to questions from the Nominating Groups and interested stakeholders as it develops the draft report ahead of the Public Comment period.
Dates:
Tuesday, 5 May 2026 – 06:00–07:00 UTC
Tuesday, 5 May 2026 – 18:00–19:00 UTC
Read the Refined Proposal to prepare.
Announcement.
Facebook | LinkedIn | X
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ICANN to Host Question-and-Answer Sessions for New gTLD Applicants
Dates: 12 May, 16:00 UTC | 26 May, 16:00 UTC
Read more and register.
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ICANN Request for Proposal: Global Payroll Services
ICANN's preference would be to contract with one provider that can support all in-scope countries; however, under certain considerations ICANN may be open to selecting multiple providers as part of this initiative.
Deadline: 8 May 2026
Read more.
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ICANN Issues Request for Proposal: 2026 Round Auction
The selected provider will implement the ascending-clock, second-price auction method and must have the capability to accommodate a high volume of auctions, including both direct and indirect contention sets.
Deadline: 2 June 2026
Read more.
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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. Then, make sure to read the short content guide to get a feel for what belongs in the wiki. Also, feel free to take a look at some data source suggestions on where to find reliable data. Happy editing!
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These events occur in April 2026.
To learn more, please visit our community engagement calendar.
- Remote DNS and DNSSEC Training with AGETIC Mali (.ml ccTLD Manager)
- Connected Africa Summit-2026
- Central Asian IGF
- At-Large Webinar: “ICANN Global Public Interest Framework (GPIF) and Relevance to At-Large”
- DNSSEC Training for Azeri Community
- ICANN Technical Webinar EMEA: Phishing and DNS Abuse - Operational Blindspots
- INTA 2026 Annual Meeting (International Trademark Association)
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