A soluble polymer attractive for light emitting devices has been prepared and its performance in LED applications evaluated. The chemical synthesis of the monomers is described, followed by their polymerization to a highly soluble, readily processable, cyanosubstituted poly(2,6-naphthylenevinylene). Electroluminescence and photoluminescence spectra are presented and an electrochemical study reported. It is shown that the presence of the naphthalene units induces a strong blue-shift in the emission color.