by EVE Online Team11:00am on Monday 8th September 2025
Influential capsuleers,
Step forward and shape the future. The Council of Stellar Management (CSM) returns for its landmark 20th iteration, and the call to serve is now open. If you’re a capsuleer who cares deeply about EVE Online’s evolution, and you’ve got the passion and perspective to guide it, this is your chance to stand and be counted.
The CSM is your bridge to CCP, offering direct access to help steer key discussions on game development, ecosystem changes, and player needs. This year’s CSM will continue to build on the success of the expanded council model, giving more representatives a seat at the table and ensuring more voices from across New Eden are heard.
As always, your commitment and insight can directly impact the game, and the stakes are as high as ever.
To improve campaigning, onboarding, and transparency, key dates have been adjusted this year:
Candidate submissions: 23 September - 7 October
Candidate announcement: 10 October
Campaign period: 10 - 26 October
Voting period: 27 October - 10 November
This adjusted schedule allows more time for meaningful candidate introductions and player engagement before the polls open. To allow ample time to vote, the polls will remain open for two weeks, instead of one as in previous years.
The CSM helped shape some of this year’s biggest moments:
The Revenant Major Update – With community feedback at its core, this overhaul delivered new tools and insights for factional warfare and beyond.
Legion: Not-So-Little Things – Ongoing CSM input helped prioritize dozens of high-impact quality-of-life changes.
The Legion Major Update – A transformative step, coming on 9 September, that reflected reflects both strategic community feedback and CSM collaboration.
From the in-person week long summit at CCP HQ in Iceland, to Slack communication, CSM members remained in constant dialogue with development teams. The result? Real-time influence on the most important conversations in New Eden. Building on this foundation, CSM 20 will attend its own summit and be in constant contact with CCP, ensuring that the communication channels remain as active and robust as ever.
Important disclaimer: incorrectly filed or incomplete submissions will be rejected. The rules are unambiguous, but we are happy to answer any questions if you are unsure about the process. You can send us an email at communityteam@ccpgames.com. To be eligible for the CSM, applicants must meet the following requirements:
Your account must be older than 60 days at the time candidacy applications close.
Characters on both Alpha and Omega accounts are eligible to run.
You must have a history of honoring the EULA and the Terms of Service. We will screen every applicant thoroughly, and EULA/TOS violations on your record can result in a rejected application.
If you are unsure if you qualify, we strongly encourage you to apply early, as applications are now processed in 72 hours.
AFTER you receive confirmation that you have been greenlit as a candidate, you must create a campaign thread in the CSM section on EVE Online forums covering the following questions:
Your EVE Online story.
Your areas of expertise. In which areas of the game do you feel you are the most knowledgeable? What qualities set you apart from other candidates?
Why are you applying for the CSM?
What can players expect from you?
You are free to add more information and manage your campaign thread as you see fit, but the above four questions are the bare minimum required from everyone.
NOTE: Campaign threads for candidates that have not been approved might be removed to avoid confusion.
Your account must have updated and correct information at the time of your application. This includes your real-life name, correct date of birth, and the same email you use to submit your application. To view and edit this information go to the account management page. If you are unsure, you may file a support ticket along with your CSM application to update your account.
Candidates must be at least 18 years of age. If the legal adult age in your home country (the age at which you have the legal capacity to enter into a contract) is higher than 18, that number applies instead.
As an applicant, you must consent to provide your personal details to CCP, including your real name and a copy of your passport or national ID card for those that do not plan to attend the CSM summit in person. CCP needs to affirm your real-life identity for NDA contract purposes.
If you do not currently have a valid passport, we will accept a picture/scan of a valid and approved passport application accompanied by a picture of your national ID card.
You must consent to share your country of origin with the EVE community and display it on the EVE Online website. You will not be required to share any other personal information.
If you are running as an "alt" and controlling a character with a reputation in the EVE universe, CCP may require you to run under that identity at its full discretion.
All personal data will be handled in accordance with European data protection and processing laws.
There are three mandatory steps capsuleers interested in running for CSM 20 must take. Reminder, this process does not start until 23 September at 11:00 UTC. Applications submitted before this time may not be properly processed.
Fill in the application form between 23 September and 7 October. Beware session time-outs that can refresh the page, and make sure to save your text in a document before. If you don't get confirmation, re-enter the information and try again. Note: the page will not be live until 23 September.
Submit your document scans/pictures to csm-contact@ccpgames.com in high quality with the subject "CSM 20 Application".
Create a forum thread in the CSM section on EVE Online forums. This step must be completed after you receive confirmation that your application has been both processed and approved.
Remember that applications cannot be edited after you submit them, so triple-check to ensure information entered is correct! We will be sending an email to all applicants, first to confirm that we received their application and second after the internal screening process is complete.
The candidacy process remains unchanged. Capsuleers must meet the eligibility criteria detailed above, submit identification, and complete a short application form. The window for announcing your candidacy will open on 23 September, so you’d better start preparing those slogans now.