The Unserious Collective Fellowship (Up to 600,000 Naira)

The Unserious Collective Fellowship Opens for Emerging Nigerian Poets

The 2026 Unserious Collective Fellowship is now open, offering one of the most exciting opportunities for emerging Nigerian poets this year. After a one-year break, the fellowship returns with four slots available, awarding a total of ₦600,000, with ₦150,000 for each fellow.

Submissions are open from April 1 to June 30, 2026, and the fellowship seeks bold, memorable poetry that pushes against convention. The organizers emphasize that there is no preferred theme or style—only work that feels fierce, playful, transgressive, and unforgettable.

Key Eligibility Requirements

The fellowship is strictly for emerging Nigerian poets. In this case, that means you must not have published a full-length poetry collection. Self-published books do not count against eligibility.

Applicants may submit up to 10 pages of poetry in a .doc or .docx file. You may submit both published and unpublished poems. However, you cannot submit only previously published work.

Formatting requirements include:

• Single-spaced
• 12pt Garamond or Times New Roman
• Number the pages.
• Submission title must read “UCPS 2026”
• No identifying information anywhere in the file or filename

Participants must submit their entries through the official submission portal, and the committee will not consider email entries.

The four winning fellows will also have their work published in a microchapbook. The longlist, shortlist, and final winners will be announced in August 2026.

For poets preparing their strongest entries, this is a good time to revisit how established writers approach revision and resilience. Our feature on 6 Nigerian poets on editing, rejections, and books offers practical insight into how great poems become publishable work. You should also make sure your professional materials are ready in case of selection, including a clean author profile—this guide on how to write a short author’s bio can help.

The Unserious Collective Fellowship has been awarding the best Nigerian poets since 2021.