The Aliit Fellowship serves as the primary hub for hands-on contribution to Midnight. The Aliit prioritizes technical expertise and ecosystem development. Fellows engage directly with the protocol, create essential tooling, and produce the documentation required to make zero-knowledge (ZK) technology accessible. Alongside core development, the Fellowship includes dedicated tracks for Education, Advocacy, and Community Leadership which are inclusive of different types of contributions.
Following the successful launch of Cohort 1, the Fellowship has transitioned to a rolling admission model to better integrate contributors as they ready their projects. Applications for Cohort 2 are now open.
About the Aliit
The Aliit is Midnight's technical fellowship. It exists for developers who are actively contributing to the ecosystem in meaningful, hands-on ways, whether through code, tooling, documentation, support, or other technically grounded work.
The Aliit Fellowship focuses on the technical development of the network rather than social or community reach. While the Nightforce program supports community growth and visibility, the Aliit supports contributors who strengthen the technical core of the ecosystem.
The Aliit Fellowship is looking for contributors who operate with good technical judgment, communicate clearly, and are willing to help unblock others. This Fellowship is built on trust and responsibility.
The Candidacy Structure
The Aliit Fellowship now runs on a four-stage path:
- Candidate is where you begin. This is a two-month phase structured within Zealy, with updated quests designed to surface how you think, what you build, and how you show up for the community. Applications to become a Candidate are reviewed on a rolling weekly basis. You can apply to become a Candidate at any point.
- Tier 1 Fellow is the entry point for the Fellowship. If you're accepted into Cohort 2, you’ll become a Tier 1 Fellow. Cohort 1, which graduated from Cohort 0, are already Tier 1 Fellows. This stage is a four-month commitment, and it's where you'll establish your rhythm of contribution and build alongside the existing Fellows.
- Tier 2 Fellow runs for six months and carries you through the end of the year. Members who progress to Tier 2 have demonstrated consistency and are embedded more deeply in the work of the ecosystem.
- Tier 3 Fellow opens in January 2027. We'll share more about what this looks like as the year develops.
How Contribution Works: The Four Personas
One of the most significant changes in this iteration is the introduction of contribution personas. Rather than prescribing a single mode of participation, we've defined four lanes that reflect how real technical contributors actually work.
- Builder is the default for every member. This covers development work, tooling, protocol contributions, and anything living in GitHub.
- Educator is for members who create tutorials, run workshops, write documentation, or help other developers understand complex concepts. If you're the person who makes ZK proofs feel approachable, this is your lane.
- Advocate covers talks, content creation, and activities that bring new developers into the Midnight ecosystem. If you're actively representing Midnight at events or through original content, this is where that work counts.
- Community Leader recognizes members who organize events, provide ongoing support in developer channels, and help coordinate the broader builder community.
You're not locked to one persona. Each month, you self-report where your contributions landed across as many lanes as apply to you. The reporting is lightweight: GitHub activity plus a monthly summary, nothing more.
Benefits of Fellowship
The Fellowship provides resources and benefits tailored specifically to technical contributors. Candidates receive access to an exclusive Discord channel and an NFT while in the queue. Fellows receive a package designed to support technical, personal and professional development alongside ecosystem growth including: welcome swag, developer tool credits, NFTs, dedicated Discord access, community spotlight opportunities, fireside speaking slots, public speaking coaching, and conference credits.
The further you progress, the more the Fellowship supports your ongoing development . Tier 3 Fellows will receive NIGHT rewards on top of all other benefits. More details on that will come as mainnet approaches.
How Admissions Work
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis and reviewed weekly. There is no batch deadline. If you're ready, you can apply now.
During the Candidate phase, we're paying attention to how you engage with the updated Zealy quests, the quality of your contributions in Discord and the developer channels, and how you show up for other builders. Admission decisions reflect that whole picture.
Once accepted into Tier 1, you'll receive an onboarding from the team and be connected with the existing Fellows. The program is designed to be genuinely collaborative, not just a credential.
This program was built because Midnight is early, complex, and evolving. The Aliit exists to catch issues early, improve clarity, and help other builders move forward. If that kind of work is what you're already doing, you belong here.
How to apply
The admission process operates on a rolling basis, with Candidate applications undergoing regular review. The first formal review of this Candidate pool occurs at the end of April, with official onboarding for Cohort 2 beginning on May 1.
Early application ensures candidates have sufficient time to establish a record of contribution before the April review.
If you have questions before applying, drop them in the Midnight Discord. The Fellows and the DevRel team are present and responsive.