Summary

  • Different applicants seeking strings from the same variant-string-set are placed in contention, and only one applicant is selected through contention resolution.
  • The applied-for primary and allocatable variant strings participate as a set, rather than as separate independent contests.

Section 3.1.9.3.2 of ICANN’s 2026 Applicant Guidebook defines the unit that enters contention. When different applicants apply for strings drawn from the same variant-string-set, the applications are placed in contention. The rule then says that only one applicant will be selected through the contention resolution process.

The important mechanism is aggregation. Applied-for primary strings and their applied-for allocatable variants participate as a set in the relevant contention mechanism. The Guidebook identifies Community Priority Evaluation and the ICANN New gTLD Auction as the applicable mechanisms, depending on the circumstances.

This rule does not name a winner or say that every set will reach an auction. It does not establish Community Priority Evaluation eligibility, successful evaluation, contracting or delegation. It defines how related applied-for strings are grouped when competing applicants reach contention.

Sources