Twitter has announced its rolling out its new verification application program for the "blue badge." It could take up to a few weeks to get a response from twitter as, i'm sure, the "queue" is likely to be quite long. Twitter says the initial categories are there to establish the most popular, but it will be adding more categories later this year.

Twitter will also establish new account types for automated accounts in the next few months, and memorialised accounts to follow in due course.

With today’s application launch, we’re also introducing new guidelines for verified accounts on Twitter. These verification guidelines are intended to encourage healthy conversations for the betterment of the Twitter community overall. They follow the philosophy to lead by example, Tweet others how they want to be Tweeted, and serve the public conversation authentically, respectfully, and with consideration. As always, all accounts, including verified accounts, must follow the Twitter Rules. And as we previously shared, verified accounts that repeatedly violate the Twitter Rules are subject to have the blue badge removed.

To qualify for verification, you must fit the criteria of one of the six categories listed below:

Government
Companies, brands and organizations
News organizations and journalists
Entertainment
Sports and gaming
Activists, organizers, and other influential individuals

[blog.twitter.com...]