ICANN new gTLDs: What is the Prioritization Draw?

In the context of ICANN’s New gTLD Program, the Prioritization Draw is a randomized process used to assign a "priority number" to every application. This number determines the order in which applications are processed through initial evaluation, pre-delegation testing, and eventually, the execution of registry agreements.

Because ICANN receives a massive volume of applications in a short window, it cannot process all of them simultaneously. The draw ensures that the queue is formed in a fair, transparent, and neutral manner.

How the Draw Works

The process was first introduced in the 2012 round and has been refined for the upcoming 2026 Round. Here is the typical breakdown of the event:

• The "Lottery" Format: It is a manual, live event. In past rounds, physical paper tickets representing each application were placed in a drum and drawn by hand to ensure the process could not be "gamed" by digital timestamps.
• Optional Participation: Applicants generally have the choice to participate by purchasing a ticket (historically around $100). Applications with tickets are drawn first; those without tickets are assigned priority numbers afterward.
• Categorization: To promote linguistic diversity, Internationalized Domain Names (IDNs)—which use non-Latin scripts like Arabic, Chinese, or Cyrillic—are typically prioritized and drawn in the first group.