Founded in 1981, BOMB Magazine is dedicated to delivering the artist's voice. BOMB includes a print quarterly magazine and an online daily publication. In addition to conversations between artists of all disciplines, BOMB publishes original works of fiction, poetry, and translation.
BOMB hosts an annual literary contest, alternating between fiction and poetry each year, with a distinguished guest judge. We encourage submissions of adventurous work that push the boundaries of form or content in some way. We open for general submissions on occasion.
Before submitting, we encourage you to read the magazine, online and in print, to acquaint yourself with the material we have published. Subscriptions to BOMB are available here.
About the Contest
BOMB Magazine’s 2026 Poetry Contest is open for submissions, and we’re honored to have 2025 National Book Award Finalist Richard Siken joining us as this year’s guest judge. Siken will select one winner to receive a $1,000 prize and publication in BOMB’s print magazine and online.
Submission Guidelines
- Submission period: March 1, 2026 to April 15, 2026 (at 11:59 PM ET)
- Reading fee for non-members: $25.00. (Includes an online-only subscription to BOMB from April 16, 2026 until April 15, 2027.)
- Become a member—starting at $5 a month—to get a $20 discount on reading fees, receive a year of BOMB Magazine in print and online, and support a nonprofit that's been publishing artists in conversation since 1981. Join now!
- Current members, visit your My Benefits page for a link to enter the contest at a discounted rate ($5).
- Manuscripts may contain no more than five poems and no more than ten pages.
- All entries will be considered anonymously. Do not include your name on manuscript pages. Non-anonymous manuscripts will be disqualified.
- Work must be previously unpublished.
- Entries must be sent via Submittable.
- Simultaneous submissions are permitted as long as you notify us if your piece is accepted elsewhere, but the fee is nonrefundable.
The winner and finalists will be announced in July 2026. Email firstproof@bombsite.com with any questions.
About Richard Siken
Richard Siken is a poet and painter. His book Crush won the 2004 Yale Series of Younger Poets prize, selected by Louise Glück, a Lambda Literary Award, a Thom Gunn Award, and was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award. His other books are War of the Foxes (Copper Canyon Press, 2015) and I Do Know Some Things (Copper Canyon Press, 2025), which was a finalist for the National Book Award. Siken is a recipient of fellowships from Lannan Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts. He lives in Tucson, Arizona.
Richard Siken was interviewed and three poems from I Do Know Some Things appeared in BOMB Spring 2024.