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 general criteria necessary for the selection of a qualified nominee?

Nominations for the New7Wonders of Nature must be for a clearly defined natural site or natural monument that was NOT created or significantly altered by humans for aesthetic reasons. Physical or natural phenomena like the northern lights, the Gulf stream or shooting stars are not eligible.
The nominees MUST be one of the following:

• natural site
• natural monument
• landscape

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 21 finalists, to be announced on 21 July 2009.
   
3. For the Finalist stage, the 21 New7Wonders of Nature Finalists will be put to popular vote in early 2009. Voting will continue throughout 2009 and into 2010. 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 2010.

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 natural site that I nominated does not show up in the list of nominees?

Once a natural site is suggested by members, it is added to the list of nominees. To be sure that a site will become a nominee for the New7Wonders of Nature, it is important to tell your friends and colleagues about it. Spread the news and motivate as many people as possible. For this you can use the “Tell Your Friends” form.
If you do not see your nominee in the list of the current top 77, this means that it is not ranked between 1 and 77 - you can see its status by clicking on the continent where it is located and finding it in the list of nominees.

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 21 Finalists. The Finalists will be chosen out of the Top 77 Official Supported Nominees in early 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 starting in early 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.