Guidelines To Apply:
At Nightboat, we strongly oppose using generative AI for our editorial work, and we expect all applicants to submit their own writing, as well as refrain from using AI for interview assistance. A significant part of this fellowship involves applying and sharpening your reading and writing skills. We want to hear your voice.
1) A statement summarizing your editorial interests and previous literary experience (500 words) —what are you reading/listening to/watching right now? What writing, performance, events, and community organizing have you participated in?
2) An example of a project(s) you’d be interested in bringing to Nightboat. This can be purely speculative (200 words)—is there a writer whose work you think deserves collecting? What kinds of aesthetic forms are you invested in? Are there communities outside of experimental writing you’d like to collaborate with and engage? Please note, if you are awarded the Editorial Fellowship, you will not be required to pursue this particular project.
3) A current CV.
Eligibility:
Eligibility—applicants must:
*Be able to commit to the two-year fellowship position.
*The applicant must live in the United States and be authorized to work within the U.S. This includes: U.S. Permanent Residents, DACA recipients, and U.S. Citizens.
For more information about the Nightboat Editorial Fellowship, please read our call for submissions.
Nightboat Books is committed to the principles of equal opportunity, equity in employment, accessibility, and to becoming a more inclusive organization. Individuals who have questions about accommodation and accessibility during the application process and beyond, or any general inquiries about the program are invited to contact us at fellowship@nightboat.org or check out our frequently asked questions page. Nightboat will be closed the week of August 22nd-30th and staff will be unavailable to answer questions. We will get back to you when we return from vacation.
ELIGIBILITY: Any poet writing in English, including international Anglophone writers. Previous book publication is not a consideration for eligibility. Poems published in print or online periodicals, anthologies, or chapbooks may be included, but the manuscript itself must be unpublished. Original work only; translations are not eligible for the prize.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST: Family members and former students of Nightboat editors may not submit to the contest. Students do not include interactions at short-term residencies or fellowships. Former employees of Nightboat Books, including interns, may not submit to the contest.
FORMAT: Minimum of 48 pages, paginated, no more than one poem per page. Please include a title page (we do not read submissions blind, so it's fine to include your name), a table of contents, and an acknowledgments page if applicable. You're welcome to include images in your manuscript, but please note that we are not able to print in full-color.
AI USE: Nightboat Books publishes work made by humans that challenges, transcends, and reinvents our literary landscape with radical imagination. If you choose to use AI in the creation of your manuscript, we ask that you disclose it and explain how and why.
SIMULTANEOUS SUBMISSIONS: Simultaneous submissions are acceptable. Please notify Nightboat Books immediately if your manuscript is accepted elsewhere.
MULTIPLE SUBMISSIONS: Submission of more than one manuscript is acceptable. Each manuscript must be submitted separately, each with a separate entry fee.
INTERNATIONAL SUBMISSIONS: We accept International Submissions.
REVISIONS: The winner will have the opportunity to revise the manuscript before publication. No revisions will be considered during the reading period.
ENTRY FEE: A $28 entry fee. In the event that the judges do not select a manuscript for publication, reading fees will be returned to all entrants.
DEADLINE: November 15, 2026 at 11:59pm EST.
Winner(s) will be announced by April 2027. Winning collection(s) to be published Spring-Fall 2029.
(We're no longer accepting hardcopy submissions to the Nightboat Poetry Prize.)
MORE INFO: Email questions/comments to info AT nightboat.org, but please do not send your manuscript to this email address.
Thanks and good luck! We look very forward to reading your work.
COUNCIL OF LITERARY MAGAZINES & PRESSES CONTEST CODE OF ETHICS
CLMP’s community of independent literary publishers believes that ethical contests serve our shared goal: to connect writers and readers by publishing exceptional writing. We believe that intent to act ethically, clarity of guidelines, and transparency of process form the foundation of an ethical contest. To that end, we agree to 1) conduct our contests as ethically as possible and to address any unethical behavior on the part of our readers, judges, or editors; 2) to provide clear and specific contest guidelines—defining conflict of interest for all parties involved; and 3) to make the mechanics of our selection process available to the public. This Code recognizes that different contest models produce different results, but that each model can be run ethically. We have adopted this Code to reinforce our integrity and dedication as a publishing community and to ensure that our contests contribute to a vibrant literary heritage.