Email from ICANN Thursday, 26 March 2026 ICANN Community Digest Click here to learn more about the New gTLD Program 2026 Round Applicant Guidebook 2026 Round Vendor Sourcing Timeline 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 Information Sharing NEW: A Look Back at ICANN85 NEW: Artificial Intelligence and the Work of ICANN Call for Applications:NextGen@ICANN87 ICANN87 Fellowship Application Round Now Open ICANN86 Community Childcare Grants Program: Apply Now 2026 Round NEW: Advancing Toward the Open of the 2026 Round NEW: ICANN Seeks Input on Draft Evaluation Guide for Community Priority Evaluation (CPE) ICANN Announces Community Priority Evaluation Provider for 2026 Round 2026 Round Highlights from ICANN85 Call for Expressions of Interest: 2026 Round Independent Objectors More Entities Qualify for ICANN’s Applicant Support Program Next Round Champions Toolkit Available in the Six ICANN Languages 🚨 Action Items 🚨 ICANN Request for Proposal: Name Collision Temporary Delegation GNSO's DNS Abuse Mitigation PDP-1 Observer Enrollment ICANNWiki Seeking Volunteers Public Comment Fundamental Bylaws Amendments on IANA-Related Reviews and CSC Charter Update Proposed Root KSK Algorithm Rollover Standard Bylaws Amendment – Transition Article on Specific Reviews Draft Guidelines for Advancing UA Adoption Events These events occur in March 2026. Information Sharing NEW: A Look Back at ICANN85 I would like to thank everyone who contributed to the success of the ICANN85 Community Forum, which took place 7–12 March in Mumbai, India. In total, 1,517 people attended ICANN85 in person, including 332 first-time attendees, and 678 people participated virtually. Read more. NEW: Artificial Intelligence and the Work of ICANN Every few years, a new technology captures the world's imagination and prompts the same question across every industry: "How does this affect what you do?" Today, that technology is artificial intelligence (AI), specifically large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT and its counterparts. At ICANN, we hear this question frequently. How does AI affect the Domain Name System (DNS), the identifier ecosystem, or ICANN's mission? Read more. Call for Applications: NextGen@ICANN87 ICANN is calling for applications for NextGen@ICANN Program participants to attend the ICANN87 Annual General Meeting in Muscat, Oman, 17–22 October 2026. Read more. ICANN87 Fellowship Application Round Now Open ICANN is opening the application round for the ICANN Fellowship Program for ICANN87 Annual General Meeting. The ICANN87 meeting is scheduled for 17–22 October 2026 in Muscat, Oman. If ICANN87 is held virtually, the Fellowship Program also will be held virtually. The deadline to apply is 19 April 2026 at 23:59 UTC. Read more. ICANN86 Community Childcare Grants Program: Apply Now ICANN opened the application round for its Community Childcare Grants Program for ICANN86 in Seville, Spain. The program facilitates the in-person participation of community members with children who are 12 years old or younger at ICANN Public Meetings and eligible ICANN events. Read more. 2026 Round NEW: Advancing Toward the Open of the 2026 Round We are only weeks away from opening the 2026 Round of the New Generic Top-Level Domains (gTLD) Program. The program leaders and their teams continue to make significant progress toward the 30 April launch. Read more. NEW: ICANN Seeks Input on Draft Evaluation Guide for Community Priority Evaluation (CPE) ICANN opened a Public Comment proceeding to gather input from the ICANN community on the draft evaluation guide for Community Priority Evaluation in the New Generic Top-Level Domains Program: 2026 Round. Read more. ICANN Announces Community Priority Evaluation Provider for 2026 Round ICANN announced today that it has entered into an agreement with Analysys Mason Limited to be the Community Priority Evaluation (CPE) provider for the New Generic Top-Level Domains (gTLD) Program: 2026 Round. Read more. 2026 Round Highlights From ICANN85 With ICANN85 behind us, I'd like to provide you with an update on the progress being made as we approach the launch of the New Generic Top-Level Domains (gTLD) Program: 2026 Round. The ICANN85 Community Forum, the last Public Meeting before the launch day, was busy and productive. Read more. Call for Expressions of Interest: 2026 Round Independent Objectors ICANN opened a Call for Expressions of Interest (EOI) to identify three individuals to serve as Independent Objectors, including one who will act as chair, as part of the New Generic Top-Level Domains (gTLD) Program: 2026 Round. The Independent Objectors will file Community and Limited Public Interest objections and appeals and participate in mediation, where appropriate. Although an individual may be affiliated with a firm, that person will be ultimately responsible for the processes described in this EOI. Individuals from the same firm will not be selected. Read more. More Entities Qualify for ICANN’s Applicant Support Program As of 27 February, there are five fully qualified supported applicants and seven that are conditionally qualified, bringing the total to 12 – with 62 applicants still in review. Read more. 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. Action Items ICANN Request for Proposal: Name Collison Temporary Delegation ICANN issued a request for proposal (RFP) to identify a service provider to operate the Name Collision Temporary Delegation process for the New Generic Top-Level Domains (gTLD) Program: 2026 Round. Deadline: 6 April 2026  Read more. GNSO’s DNS Abuse Mitigation PDP-1 Observer Enrollment While the PDP membership is structured as a representative model, all of the ICANN community are also free to enroll as an Observer to follow the deliberations of the PDP. To enroll as an Observer, enrollments will be fielded through ICANN Join. If you have not used ICANN Join before, please follow the first-time user instructions below. Accessing ICANN Join does require having an ICANN Account. ICANN Join Instructions 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! Public Comment NEW: Draft Evaluation Guides for Community Priority Evaluation (CPE) Open for Submissions Date: Tuesday, 24 March 2026 Closed for Submissions Date: Monday, 04 May 2026 Fundamental Bylaws Amendments on IANA-Related Reviews and CSC Charter Update Open for Submissions Date: Wednesday, 11 February 2026 Closed for Submissions Date: Monday, 30 March 2026 Proposed Root KSK Algorithm Rollover Open for Submissions Date: Tuesday, 3 February 2026 Closed for Submissions Date: Monday, 6 April 2026 Standard Bylaws Amendment – Transition Article on Specific Reviews Open for Submissions Date: Wednesday, 11 February 2026 Closed for Submissions Date: Monday, 13 April 2026 Draft Guidelines for Advancing UA Adoption Open for Submissions Date: Monday, 23 February 2026 Closed for Submissions Date: Monday, 13 April 2026 See upcoming proceedings. See other public consultations. Events These events occur in March 2026. To learn more, please visit our community engagement calendar. WACREN 2026 Cloudfest 2026 APRALO Policy Forum Webinar Series on Multilingual Internet: Webinar #2:IDN Policies and Implementation North America UA Day Event 2026 Africa Digital Transformation Summit (ADTS-2026) Volume 8, Issue 20 | Archive | Next Issue: Monday, 30 March 2026 STAY INFORMED: Subscribe here ICANN | 12025 Waterfront Drive Suite 300 | Los Angeles, CA 90094-2536 US Unsubscribe | Update Profile | Constant Contact Data Notice