New Platform Helps 2026 New gTLD Applicants Choose the Right Strings and Avoid Contention Before Reveal Day

PORTLAND, Ore., May. 6, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Early Warning Report LLC today launched its platform to help participants in ICANN's 2026 New gTLD Program understand and address potential string contention before Reveal Day. The premise is straightforward: applicants who know about potential contention early can do something about it. Those who don't, can't. With the application window open now, applicants should visit https://EarlyWarning.report to get this information now while it's still useful.

BACKGROUND

New generic Top Level Domains, commonly called new gTLDs, are domain name extensions that organizations can apply to operate. Prior to 2012, domain extensions were limited to a small set of options including .com, .net, .org, and country code extensions. In 2012, ICANN, the multistakeholder nonprofit organization that administers the global domain name system, opened the first round of its new gTLD program, allowing organizations to apply for virtually any string of characters as a domain extension. Applications in that round included generic terms like .design and .hotel, strings representing cities and communities, and brand-specific extensions known as .brand gTLDs. When more than one organization applied for the same string, a contention set was formed. In the first round, applicants in contention could coordinate directly to resolve it, including through private auctions where losing applicants shared the winning bid.

In this round, the rules have changed significantly. ICANN has prohibited all forms of applicant-coordinated resolution after Reveal Day, the date on which ICANN publicly discloses all submitted applications. Application fees are higher and refunds are lower. Once Reveal Day passes, applicants who find themselves in a contention set have only one option: the ICANN auction. That path is costly and unpredictable. Applicants may wait years to resolve contention while their application fees and auction reserves remain tied up, with no ceiling on what they may ultimately have to spend to win. And if they lose the ICANN auction, the financial damage compounds: ICANN's post-auction withdrawal refund is only 35% of the $227,000 application fee, as opposed to a 65% refund which is available up until 10 days after String Confirmation. This means that an applicant who withdraws after losing the ICANN auction forfeits approximately $148,000 in application fees alone, before legal, consulting, and other costs. This is roughly $68,000 more than if they had withdrawn earlier.

Until now, there was no practical way to avoid this outcome. Early Warning Report changes this by providing actionable intelligence to applicants both before and after they apply.

KEY BENEFITS

• Tells You if a Desired String is Available

All users can access the platform's free string availability tool, which allows applicants to organize their strings of interest and check whether each string is eligible for the next round by comparing it against existing TLDs and ICANN's block lists of impermissible strings. This is a useful first step before any application commitment is made. All strings entered into the platform are kept strictly confidential - even from other participants - and are held by a third party string information custodian.

• Tells You if Others Are Interested in the Same String

Before applying, participants who purchase String Interest Reports will also learn if other participants have expressed interest in the same string they are considering, and if so, how many. This enables applicants to make more strategic decisions, choosing strings where there is less competing interest, before committing to the $227,000 application fee. While purchasers of String Interest Reports will not know the identity of the other participants who are interested in the same string, they will be able to communicate with them anonymously (or self-identified at their option) through a chat function, further enabling efficient application decisions.

• Tells You if Others Have Actually Applied for the Same String While You Can Still Do Something About It

Early Warning Report is even more valuable after applications have been submitted. Participants who purchase Contention Avoidance Reports will be notified if other participants have applied for the same string. The report will identify the other applicants and enable direct communication with them through a chat function. This means if another Early Warning Report participant applied for the same string then they will know with certainty that they will ultimately be in a contention set if they don't do something to avoid it. Most importantly, they will have this information before Reveal Day, while options to address it are still available. Those options can include joint ventures, negotiated withdrawals, or other arrangements that applicants are free to pursue in the pre-Reveal Day window. Contention Avoidance Reports also cover alternate strings: applicants who have designated an alternate string in their application will be notified before Reveal Day if another Early Warning Report participant has applied for that string. If this occurs, the participant will know that their alternate string is not available as a fallback option and that they need to focus their efforts and resources on obtaining their primary string.

• Makes Contention Avoidance Auctions Possible Before Reveal Day

It is also possible to avoid contention before Reveal Day through an auction in which losing applicants may share in the winning bid. While this was previously thought to be unavailable in this round, Early Warning Report has developed a proprietary methodology that makes pre-Reveal Day contention avoidance auctions meaningful even if an ICANN auction ultimately occurs.

This methodology is designed for applicants who are genuinely seeking to resolve contention, not for applicants looking to profit by losing. Whether withdrawing applicants receive any payout depends entirely on ICANN auction outcomes, and there are scenarios in which withdrawing applicants receive nothing beyond their ICANN application fee refund. Participating applicants should evaluate the process with that uncertainty clearly in mind.

Early Warning Report has licensed this methodology to two well-known auction providers that provided auction services in the first round, who can work directly with interested applicants. More information is available by contacting [email protected].

"The biggest risk in this round isn't the application, it's contention," said Raymond King, co-founder and principal at Early Warning Report, who previously co-founded and served as CEO for SnapNames.com, Top Level Design LLC, which applied for 10 TLDs in the first round and ultimately operated five of them, and currently serves as CEO of ICANN Accredited Registrar, Porkbun.com. "We give applicants the information and connections they need to address that risk while options are still on the table."

"The rule change prohibiting applicant-coordinated resolution after Reveal Day fundamentally changes the calculus for applicants in this round," said Marc Trachtenberg, co-founder and principal at Early Warning Report, who participated in more than 40 new gTLD applications in the first round and has advised numerous applicants and registry operators on the operation, acquisition, and sale of new gTLDs, and participated in the policy development process for both the last round and the current round. "The window to act is real, but it is finite. This platform enables applicants to use that window in a way that was previously unavailable."

Early Warning Report operates entirely within ICANN's Applicant Guidebook framework.

More information is available at https://EarlyWarning.Report.

About Early Warning Report LLC

Early Warning Report is a technology-enabled professional services company built around ICANN's 2026 New gTLD Program. Its founders bring decades of combined experience in domain industry innovation, gTLD applications, and ICANN policy. The platform is designed to help applicants make better decisions, lower application costs, and avoid string contention. https://EarlyWarning.Report.

CONTACT: Ray King
[email protected]

SOURCE Early Warning Report LLC