Global InformationNew 7 Wonders of the World information
The New 7 Wonders of the World was a campaign started in 2001 to choose Wonders of the World from a selection of 200 existing monuments.[1] The popularity poll via free Web-based voting and small amounts of telephone voting was led by Canadian-Swiss Bernard Weber and organized by the New 7 Wonders Foundation (N7W) based in Zurich, Switzerland, with winners announced on 7 July 2007 in Lisbon, at Estádio da Luz.[2][3][4][5] The poll was considered unscientific partly because it was possible for people to cast multiple votes.[6] According to John Zogby, founder and current President/CEO of the Utica, New York–based polling organization Zogby International, New 7 Wonders Foundation drove "the largest poll on record".[4]
The program drew a wide range of official reactions. Some countries touted their finalist and tried to get more votes cast for it, while others downplayed or criticized the contest.[4][6] After supporting the New 7 Wonders Foundation at the beginning of the campaign by providing advice on nominee selection, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), bound by its bylaws to record and give equal status to all World Heritage Sites, distanced itself from the undertaking in 2001 and again in 2007.[7][8]
The 7 winners were chosen from 21 candidates, which had been whittled down from 77 choices by a panel in 2006.
The New 7 Wonders Foundation, established in 2001, relied on private donations and the sale of broadcast rights and received no public funding.[9] After the final announcement, New 7 Wonders said it did not earn anything from the exercise and barely recovered its investment.[10] Although N7W describes itself as a not-for-profit organization, the company behind it—the New Open World Corporation (NOWC)—is a commercial business. All licensing and sponsorship money is paid to NOWC.
The foundation ran two subsequent programs: New 7 Wonders of Nature, the subject of voting until 2011, and New7Wonders Cities, which ended in 2014.
- ^ "How the New 7 Wonders movement all began – World of New 7 Wonders". World of New 7 Wonders. Archived from the original on 2014-02-17. Retrieved 2013-03-11.
- ^ "FAQ". About New7Wonders.
- ^ "The project founder Bernard Weber - A Short History - World of New 7 Wonders". World of New 7 Wonders. 29 March 2011.
- ^ a b c Dwoskin, Elizabeth (2007-07-09). "Vote for Christ". Newsweek. ISSN 0028-9604. Archived from the original on 2008-05-03.
postscript was limited to one vote for seven monuments per person/identity, but multiple voting was possible through telephone.
- ^ "Voting Analysis". World of New 7 Wonders. Archived from the original on 2013-03-26.
- ^ a b The Seven Wonders of the World, 2.0, Los Angeles Times, 2007-07-07
- ^ "New 7 Wonders and UNESCO: Separate organizations, common goals". World of New 7 Wonders. 8 June 2007. Retrieved 25 October 2016.
- ^ "UNESCO confirms that it is not involved in the "New 7 Wonders of the World" campaign". UNESCO. July 9, 2007. Retrieved 25 October 2016.
- ^ "Interesting questions and answers". World of New 7 Wonders. Archived from the original on 2013-12-11.
- ^ Oh Taj! 7 wonders won’t get campaign money, indianexpress.com, 2007-07-22 Archived August 9, 2007, at the Wayback Machine