Deadline
May 1, 2026
Prize
One winner receives $200, a featured publication, a uniquely designed physical and digital broadside of their poem, publicity on our social media channels, free contributor copies (if we print the issue), and an optional interview.
Finalists receive a featured publication, publicity on our social media channels, contributor copies (if we print the issue), and are considered for interviews.
Check out our other past contest winners!
Meet the Judge
TBD
What Is Ekphrastic Poetry?
Ekphrastic poetry is inspired by existing works of art. For this contest, we're looking for creative writing that is inspired by, in conversation with, critiquing, or responding to a poem that we have published in any past issue. Your poem might provide a new perspective, interpretation, or continuation of the other writer's themes, imagery, or language.
Guidelines
- Please submit one previously unpublished poem of any length, style, or form. You can submit up to 10 times - one poem per submission. We prefer .doc or .docx files.
- Inspiration: Your submitted poem must be inspired by, or respond to, one piece of writing previously published in Bicoastal Review. Please indicate the title of the poem and the issue it appeared in. Write us a few sentences about how your poem relates to the other piece. You don't need to include it in your submission.
- Please do not include any of your identifying information (name, email) on the document file itself. This contest will be judged without the influence of the submitter's identity.
- Anyone from anywhere in the world can submit, though our journal tends to gravitate toward topics relevant to the U.S. west coast/east coast. Writing must be in English, with American spelling preferred. Including words from other languages is fine.
- We will ask the winner if they can record their poem as an audio file. Audio files help us expand the accessibility of poetry to anyone who prefers to listen to works. You can find examples in our digital issues.
- Simultaneous submissions are accepted as long as we are made aware of acceptance elsewhere - you can simply withdraw via Submittable. (Publishing in your own books or blog is fine.)
- If you win the contest, please respond promptly via email or Submittable (within a week or two) or we may defer to other poems. The winner will have time to make minor revisions if desired. We reserve the right to reject revisions/submissions at any time, or to get a new opinion from the judge if revisions are significant.
- Your submission should not infringe upon copyright or third-party rights. Writing must be original and not plagiarized nor submitted without proper citations – including quotes, borrowed lines, etc.
- Bicoastal Review does not accept works created with the use/help of AI.
- Bicoastal Review abides by the Community of Literary Magazines and Presses code of ethics. Past or current students, immediate colleagues, family members, or close friends of the judge are NOT ELIGIBLE. (If you have only met the judge once or twice at an event, this is not considered a “close friend.”)
We charge a reading fee (per submission), as our journal is free to read online. If this is an economic burden for you, email us at theeditors@bicoastalreview.com.
Thank you 💙 We can't wait to read your poems. Find us on Instagram and BlueSky @bicoastalreview.
Bicoastal Review is a journal of poetry, nonfiction, photography, and art. We aim to foster cross-genre conversations between readers and contributors, often on (but not limited to) topics related to the East Coast and West Coast. We publish writing that offers a lens into varied schools of thought and showcases epiphany and mastery of language. Our collective of voices circumscribes a study of American writing, highlighting the movements, ruptures, and allegiances happening simultaneously on opposite ends of the nation. Writers and artists from anywhere in the world are welcome to submit, though we prefer the American English spelling of words. If there is a fee posted that presents an economic burden to you, email us.
We offer a Fast Response option if you would like to hear back from us in one week. If it has been 6 or 7 days, feel free to email theeditors@bicoastalreview.com. There is also an option to receive in-depth edits, feedback, and suggestions on your submission from our readers and editor. Thank you for your support!
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
POETRY
5 poems max, preferably in .doc or .docx. Please separate poems by page. Titles are preferred. No need to put your contact info in the document. If your poems are haikus or otherwise very short, feel free to submit more than 5.
Please read our past issues to get a sense of our vibe. In addition to original writing, we welcome ekphrastic works that imitate, borrow from, challenge, or are in conversation with any piece we have previously published. Leave a note in your submission if you are referencing a piece previously published in our journal.
We accept translations (into English) with the permission of both author and translator.
We particularly like political poetry, ecopoetry, love poems, poems about the body, feminist or queer poetry, and poems that engage with history, literature, art, or modern culture. No covid/quarantine poems, please.
While hybrid, experimental, or cross-genre submissions are welcome, we do not accept anything created with AI. We do not accept writing that espouses bigotry or hate toward any group. We value accessibility and social progress, and seek to represent a diversity of voices across the American literary landscape.
NONFICTION
We accept creative nonfiction, critical essays, reviews, interviews, think pieces, and similar work. 1,000-3,000 words preferred, though this is not a hard rule. Occasional fiction may be considered if you think it matches the tone and themes of our publication.
PHOTOGRAPHY/ART
Submit up to 10 photos or works of art using the highest image quality possible. Include a "museum label" style paragraph explaining any materials, process, theory, or anything else you would like to share. No AI. Please don't select Fast Response if you're submitting art/photography.
Bios should be 100 words or less, beginning with "YOUR NAME is...."
Simultaneous submissions are fine. Notify us and/or withdraw your submission if your work is accepted elsewhere. We generally do not publish reprints. Upon acceptance with us, please withdraw your work from consideration elsewhere. Writers/artists featured in Bicoastal Review should wait six months to submit again to General Submissions (feel free to submit to contests).