by EVE Online Team3:00pm on Monday 7th September 2026
Political capsuleers,
The Council of Stellar Management (CSM) returns for its landmark 21st iteration, and the call to serve is now open. If you care 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 Fenris Creations, 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.
There are several important dates to keep your eye on:
Candidate submissions: 17 September – 2 October
Candidate announcement: 6 October
Campaign period: 6 October – 21 October
Voting period: 22 October – 3 November
As so many times before, this year’s CSM helped shape some key moments this year:
The Catalyst Major Update – With community feedback at its core, this overhaul delivered new tools and insights for factional warfare and beyond.
Not-So-Little Things – Ongoing CSM input helped prioritize dozens of high-impact quality-of-life changes.
A Major Update coming for Cradle of War on 22 September, reflecting both community feedback and CSM collaboration. One change coming this time involves force projection, highlighted by current and previous CSM members as an important topic.
The EVE HUD has been redesigned based on feedback and collaboration with the community and CSM.
From the in-person week long summit at Fenris HQ in Iceland, to Slack communication and beyond, 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 21 will attend its own summit and be in constant contact with Fenris Creations, 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@fenris.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 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? As part of your answer, please outline any relevant experience and perspectives you have on these topics:
Factional Warfare
Unstructured PvP
Ships, gameplay, and the HUD
Industry and markets
Sovereignty management and logistics
Highsec and the new-player experience
The connection between EVE Online and EVE Vanguard
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 Fenris Creations, 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. Fenris Creations 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, Fenris Creations 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 21 must take. Reminder, this process does not start until 17 September at 11:00 UTC. Applications submitted before this time may not be properly processed.
Fill in the application form between 17 September and 2 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 17 September.
Submit your document scans/pictures to csm-contact@fenris.com in high quality with the subject "CSM 21 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 that the information you enter 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 17 September, so you’d better start preparing those slogans now.