The Unserious Collective has opened submissions for the 2026 Unserious Collective Fellowship, marking the return of its annual prize after a one-year hiatus.
The fellowship recognizes outstanding poetry by emerging Nigerian poets. Submissions are open from April 1 to June 30, 2026. Four fellows will be selected, each receiving ₦150,000, for a total prize of ₦600,000.
Positioned as both recognition and support, the fellowship aims to encourage emerging voices in Nigerian poetry amid limited resources. The Collective also signals plans to expand the prize and deepen its programming in future editions.
In keeping with its ethos of resisting conventional literary structures, the fellowship invites work that is “transgressive, fierce, unhinged, playful, and memorable.” No thematic or stylistic constraints apply; emphasis is placed on bold, high-quality writing.
Submission Guidelines
- The Fellowship does not prefer any theme, style, or approach. Just quality writing that is bold and exciting. In other words, we want your proudest works.
- The fellowship is open to only Nigerian poets, called Emerging, or whose art/poetic endeavors can be described as such.
- Our STRICT definition of an emerging poet is that entrants must NOT have published a full-length poetry book. This does NOT include self-published books.
- Submit up to TEN (previously published or unpublished) pages of poems in a .doc or .docx file. You may submit both published and unpublished work, but NOT only PUBLISHED WORK.
- Single-spaced. Font: 12, Garamond or Times New Roman. Each page must be paginated.
- The submission title should read, “UCPS 2026,” and should be submitted here.
- Entries submitted via email will not be read.
- No identifying information (including publication history of individual poems) should be in the file. Therefore, the file name and the body of the document must NOT contain your name.
The four selected fellows will have their work published as a microchapbook. Publication details for previously published poems will be handled in consultation with the fellows.
A longlist, shortlist, and final selection of fellows will be announced in August 2026.
