New gTLDs: what is "String Confirmation Day"?

While Reveal Day is the moment the world first sees the new gTLD applications, String Confirmation Day is the date when the list is "locked in" and the official contest begins.

It is a brand-new milestone introduced for the 2026 Round to help streamline the process and reduce the chaotic legal battles seen in previous years.

The 14-Day "Pivot" Window

The reason String Confirmation Day exists is to account for the String Replacement Period. Here is how the timeline works:

• Reveal Day (Oct 2026): ICANN publishes all applications. For the first time, an applicant for .patatras sees that five other companies also applied for .patatras.
• The 14-Day Window: Applicants who find themselves in "contention" (competing for the same name) have 14 days to decide if they want to switch to a Replacement String they pre-submitted in their application.
• String Confirmation Day (Nov 2026): This occurs exactly 14 days after Reveal Day. It is the day ICANN publishes the final, stabilized list of strings after all "pivots" and replacements have been made.

Why It Is Important

String Confirmation Day serves as the official "starting gun" for several critical legal and administrative phases:

• Final Contention Sets: Once this day passes, you can no longer switch names to avoid a fight. If two people are still applied for the same name, they are officially in a "contention set" that must be resolved (usually via auction or agreement).
• Objection Period Starts: The 104-day window for third parties (brands, governments, etc.) to file formal objections begins on this day.
• Prioritization Draw: Shortly after this day, ICANN holds a "lottery" to determine the order in which applications will be processed.
• Singular/Plural Notifications: This is the deadline for anyone to notify ICANN if an applied-for string is a singular or plural version of an existing or pending TLD (e.g., .table vs .tables).

New gTLDs: what is "Reveal Day"?

In the world of domain names, Reveal Day is the official date when ICANN (the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) publicly announces all the applications submitted for new generic Top-Level Domains (gTLDs).

Until this day, the specific strings (the part after the dot) and the identities of the applicants are kept strictly confidential.

Why It Matters

Reveal Day is a major milestone because it marks the shift from a private application process to a public evaluation phase. It is significant for several reasons:

• Transparency: For the first time, the public sees who wants to own what (e.g., Google applying for .whatever or a startup applying for .whosthere).
• Objection Period: It triggers a window where governments, brands, or other organizations can file formal objections if they believe a proposed domain is confusingly similar to an existing one or violates specific policies.
• Contention Awareness: It reveals "contention sets"—situations where multiple parties have applied for the same string (like 13 different companies all applying for .youbet).

Historical Context: The 2012 Round

The most famous "Reveal Day" occurred on June 13, 2012. ICANN held a massive press conference in London to announce 1,930 applications. This event fundamentally changed the internet landscape, leading to the thousands of non-traditional endings we see today, like .app, .guru, and .pizza.

Upcoming: The 2026 Round

ICANN is currently preparing for the next major round of new gTLDs. According to the current timeline for the 2026 Round:

• Application Window: Expected to open in April 2026 and close in August 2026.
• Reveal Day: Scheduled for October 2026.

On that day in October, the industry will finally find out which new brands and generic terms are being proposed for the next generation of the web.