LOS ANGELES - The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) announced the candidates selected to participate in the ICANN Fellowship Program at the ICANN78 Annual General Meeting October, 21–26, 2023. Forty applicants from 36 countries will take part in the meeting in Hamburg, Germany. The ICANN organization (org) received 351 applications for the ICANN78 Fellowship Program, according to the official website of ICANN.

The successful candidates represent all sectors of society including civil, government, country code top-level domain operations, academia, business, technical, security, and end-user groups.

The Fellowship Program seeks individuals who are interested or already engaged in various aspects of ICANN's work, such as policy making, the operation of the Domain Name System, and the security and stability of the global Internet. The goal of the ICANN Fellowship Program is to strengthen the diversity of the multistakeholder model by creating opportunities for individuals from underserved and underrepresented communities to become active participants in the ICANN community.

If ICANN78 is held virtually, the Fellowship Program will also be held virtually.

Tarek Kamel Fellowship Recognition

The Fellowship Program selection committee chose returning fellow Eunice Alejandra Perez Coello from Mexico as the recipient of the Tarek Kamel Fellowship Recognition Award.

The Tarek Kamel Fellowship Recognition is a tribute to Dr. Tarek Kamel, who served as ICANN's Senior Advisor to the President and Senior Vice President of Government and Intergovernmental Organization Engagement. The recognition acknowledges the outstanding contributions of fellows in furthering ICANN's capacity development efforts in their respective regions.
Paul Muchene Fellow Award

Adebunmi Akinbo from Nigeria has been selected as the recipient of the Paul Muchene Fellow Award among the ICANN78 Fellows. The Paul Muchene Fellow Award is a tribute to Paul Muchene, an ICANN Fellowship Program participant and ICANN org staff member who passed away in August 2022.