Email from ICANN

FYI

Monday, 13 April 2026

ICANN Community Digest

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

2026 Round Applicant Guidebook [danh45uab.cc.rs6.net]

2026 Round Vendor Sourcing Timeline [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

Information Sharing

· NEW: ICANN Request for Proposal: Global Payroll Services

· NEW: ICANN Launches new IG Network and mailing lists

2026 Round

· Key 2026 Round Updates and Resources

· Advancing Toward the Open of the 2026 Round

· ICANN Announces Community Priority Evaluation Provider for 2026 Round

· 2026 Round Highlights from ICANN85

· Call for Expressions of Interest: 2026 Round Independent Objectors

· Next Round Champions Toolkit Available in the Six ICANN Languages

Webinars

· NEW: ICANN OCTO ISPCP/SSAC: The New gTLD Program 2026 and the Future of the DNS Ecosystem

· NEW: At-Large Webinar: Overview on DNS Abuse Mitigation

· Preview the ICANN FY27–31 Operating and Financial Plans

🚨 Action Items 🚨

· CLOSES FRIDAY: ICANN86 Community Childcare Grants Program: Apply Now

· CLOSES SUNDAY: ICANN87 Fellowship Application Round Now Open

· ICANN Issues Request for Proposal: 2026 Round Auction

· ICANN Board Seeks Input on Additional Funds for 2026 Round Applicant Support Program

· GNSO's DNS Abuse Mitigation PDP-1 Observer Enrollment

· ICANNWiki Seeking Volunteers

Public Comment

· NEW: Public Comment Summary Report: Name Collision Procedure Documentation

· CLOSES TODAY: Standard Bylaws Amendment – Transition Article on Specific Reviews

· CLOSES TODAY: Draft Guidelines for Advancing UA Adoption

· Draft Evaluation Guides for Community Priority Evaluation (CPE)

Events

· These events occur in April 2026.

Information Sharing

NEW: 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. [danh45uab.cc.rs6.net]

NEW: ICANN Launches new IG Network and mailing lists

We’re pleased to announce [danh45uab.cc.rs6.net] ICANN’s new Internet Governance Network, providing a central place to stay informed on ICANN's Internet governance engagement.

We'll begin by focusing on the upcoming processes of the ITU Plenipotentiary 2026 and IGF 2026. We invite you to join the dialogue by subscribing to the mailing lists and staying engaged with our work.

IGF 2026 Mailing List [danh45uab.cc.rs6.net]

ITU-PP 26 Mailing List [danh45uab.cc.rs6.net]

2026 Round

Key 2026 Round Updates and Resources

Stay tuned for more information and updates as we approach the 30 April 2026 opening.

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

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. [danh45uab.cc.rs6.net]

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. [danh45uab.cc.rs6.net]

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

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. [danh45uab.cc.rs6.net]

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. [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.

Webinars

NEW: ICANN OCTO ISPCP/SSAC: The New gTLD Program 2026 and the Future of the DNS Ecosystem

Date: Apr 15, 2026 (16:00 - 17:00 UTC)

NEW: At-Large Webinar: Overview on DNS Abuse Mitigation

Date: Tuesday 14 April 2026 (13:00 - 14:15 UTC)

Preview the ICANN FY27–31 Operating and Financial Plans

Date: 23 April 2026 (15:00–16:00 UTC)

Action Items

CLOSES FRIDAY: ICANN86 Community Childcare Grants Program: Apply Now

ICANN opened the application round for its Community Childcare Grants Program [danh45uab.cc.rs6.net] 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.

Deadline: Friday, 17 April 2026

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

CLOSES SUNDAY: ICANN Board Seeks Input on Additional Funds for 2026 Round Applicant Support Program

The ICANN Board is requesting community input via written correspondence on additional funds for the ASP.

NEW Deadline: 19 April 2026

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

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. [danh45uab.cc.rs6.net]

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. [danh45uab.cc.rs6.net]

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 [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 [danh45uab.cc.rs6.net]source suggestions [danh45uab.cc.rs6.net] on where to find reliable data. Happy editing!