Why elect the New7Wonders of Nature?

The campaign to choose The Offcial New7Wonders of the World was a resounding success, in which more than 100 million votes were cast and which took democracy to a new, global level. We know that the New7Wonders of Nature campaign will significantly raise awareness of the incredible variety and beauty of nature around us. As our slogan says, “If we want to save anything, we first need to truly appreciate it!” This is something that is very important - more awareness and more tourism income means that these natural treasures can be better preserved for future generations.

What is the criteria necessary for the participation and for the 28 finalists?

Candidates in the Official New7Wonders of Nature campaign are clearly defined natural sites that have neither been created by nor significantly altered by humans for aesthetic reasons.

The choice of the 28 Official Finalists will be advised by the New7Wonders Panel of Experts under the leadership of Prof. Dr. Federico Mayor, former Director-General of UNESCO.

The selection of the Finalists will be made from the Top 77 officially supported New7Wonders of Nature nominees on July 7, 2009 - as determined by votes cast by the world’s population. The actual specific ranking position in the top 77 is not considered by the Panel of Experts, only the important fact that a nominee has made it into the top 77 from the originally over 440 participants -  the Panel of Experts is presented with an alphabetical list of the top 77.

Following the established and recognized process used for the man-made Official New 7 Wonders of the World campaign, the N7W Panel of Experts will anonymously advise on the choice of the 28 Official Finalists using their vast experience and their personal judgment, bearing in mind the following general criteria:

1. Unique beauty of the nominated site;

2. Diversity and distribution (accounted for in 7 groups);

3. Ecological significance (in terms of either stand-alone eco-systems and/or their significance for human beings);

4. Historical legacy (relation that human beings and/or indigenous populations have or have had with the site);

5. Geo-location (even distribution of the 28 Official Finalists between all continents).

The 28 Official New7Wonders of Nature Finalists will be announced on July 21, 2009.

When will the New7Wonders of Nature be declared? What are the stages of the election?

There are three stages in the New7Wonders of Nature campaign: the National Qualification, the Nomination stage and the Finalist stage:

1. On 1 January 2009, only one national nominee per country will be allowed to proceed: the highest ranked in the voting on 31 December 2008. Therefore until the end of 2008, countries with more than one nominee will be racing to choose the national representative that is allowed to continue into 2009. Nominees shared by more than one country will remain and continue into 2009.
2. In the Nomination stage, voting for nominees will continue through July 7, 2009. Then the New7Wonders of Nature Panel of Experts, under the leadership of Prof. Federico Mayor, former Director-General of UNESCO, will review the top 77 nominees and choose the 28 finalists, to be announced on 21 July 2009.
3. For the Finalist stage, the 28 New7Wonders of Nature Finalists will be put to popular vote in July 2009. Voting will continue throughout 2010 and into 2011. During this time, the New7Wonders World Tour will visit each of the Finalists to allow them to present themselves to the voters across the globe.
   
   The final declaration of the New7Wonders of Nature will be in 2011.

Can there be more than one Finalist and more than one of the New7Wonders of Nature from the same country?

No, there will only be one Finalist per country, except for Finalists that share countries, for example those that cross national borders.

How many times can I vote?

Via www.new7wonders.com you can only vote once in each stage (nominee/Top 77 stage and Finalist stage), identifying yourself using your email address.
Please note that each person must vote for 7 different natural sites when they vote in each of the two stages.

Why does a nominee need an Official Supporting Committee (OSC)?

Without an Official Supporting Committee (OSC), a nominee cannot be considered for selection as one of the 28 Finalists. Multinational nominees (nominees across more than one country) must have an OSC in each applicable country to be eligible.
The Finalists will be chosen out of the Top 77 Official Supported Nominees in July 2009 by the New7Wonders Panel of Experts. Visit the OSC page to find out more.

Will it be possible to vote for the New7Wonders of Nature by SMS and via phone?

Yes, SMS and phone voting will be phased in for the Finalist stage after 21 July, 2009.

More questions?

For the answer to more questions, please visit here, where Bernard Weber, Founder and President of New7Wonders, answers 7 questions submitted by New7Wonders Members on the occasion of the first anniversary of the Official Declaration of the New7Wonders of the World.