2,000 years later, global vote to pick world's new Seven Wonders

A worldwide vote lets the people decide on the globe's most awe-inspiring structures.

from the June 29, 2007 edition

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Few nations have embraced the contest like Brazil. Here, the country's telephone companies waived the cost of votes cast by text message, the country's soccer players held up a banner appealing for votes before this month's match with England in London, and the media in Rio de Janeiro, the city that plays host to Christ's imperious presence on a hill overlooking the city, have enthusiastically led the cheer leading. Even the country's president pitched in.

"I hope [Brazilians] vote fervently and enthusiastically because we can win this and because Christ the Redeemer is an extraordinary thing for Brazilians and for tourists," President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said in his weekly radio address before giving instructions on how to cast a ballot.

Brazilians appear to have heeded the pleas. After trailing badly since the voting began in 2000, the statue atop Corcovado Mountain is emerging as one of the favorites for a coveted Top 7 finish, due to an energetic national campaign ahead of the July 7 decision.

Votes can be cast online at www.new7wonders.com or via cellphones. Millions more votes are expected to be cast before the seven winners are announced at a ceremony in Lisbon.

Weber decided to organize the international competition in 1999 to choose successors to the ancient wonders. To support the competition, Weber founded the New7Wonders Foundation in Zurich, Switzerland, in 2001. When UNESCO offered its assistance as an adviser, Weber promised to give half the proceeds from merchandising sales to restoring and preserving the sites, and in 2000 the first votes were cast.

Weber says developing nations have emerged as the most enthusiastic participants in the contest. Poor countries, he says, want their monuments on the list because of national pride.

"This is an opportunity for them to speak to the world," says Viering. "Looking at Machu Picchu and putting it in the same category as the Eiffel Tower and the Colosseum – this is very exciting and it shows the world coming together in an extraordinary way."

One country that stands out for its lack of enthusiasm has been the United States. The Statue of Liberty has failed to rouse the passions of American voters, says Viering.

But on some level, say competition organizers, that statue's lack of stature is an indication that the contest has transcended nationalist tendencies.

"If we look at participation of the United States, which is voting very strongly ... the Statue of Liberty is not at the top," Viering says. "That's great. This is not about politics, this is about what moves people.

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