Call for submissions: Voices of Tomorrow

The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists' "Voices of Tomorrow" competition features regular essays, op-ed articles, and multimedia presentations written or produced by a high school student, college undergraduate, or graduate student. Submissions must address some aspect of at least one of the Bulletin's core issues: nuclear weapons, nuclear energy, climate change, biosecurity, and emerging technologies.

The mission of "Voices of Tomorrow" is to provide an outlet for young, educated, and committed authors who have an interest in the Bulletin's mission to move humanity toward a safer and more sustainable world. The published essays will expose the Bulletin's readers to the thoughts, goals, and opinions of future experts, policymakers, and opinion makers, shedding light on how they will meet the challenges ahead.

The Bulletin is now accepting submissions.

Submission process. Essays and op-ed articles should not be longer than 1,300 words. Video presentations should not exceed 4 minutes in playing time. Each entry must contain: the author's email address, phone number, short biography, and school affiliation. Submissions should not have been previously published.

Only one contribution will be accepted per author; authors who submit multiple projects or essays will not be considered. 

Submissions should be sent to VOT coordinator Dawn Stover at:

[email protected]

Only submissions directly sent to the preceding email address will be considered.

Selection process. The Bulletin is looking for future leaders. We want to find fresh, creative, passionate and even provocative ideas, thoughts, and observations. Once chosen, VOT authors work under the direction of experienced Bulletin editors to finalize their submissions. 

Award process. At the end of each year, the Bulletin's editorial team will rate the year's VOT contributions and announce a Voice of Tomorrow. This winner will receive a free round-trip ticket to the Bulletin's annual Doomsday Clock Symposium in Washington, DC, hotel accommodations, and a dinner in his/her honor with the Bulletin's publisher, the Bulletin's editor, and the chair of the Science and Security Board. Other essayists win five-year subscriptions to the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.

About us. The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists was established in 1945 by scientists, engineers, and other experts who had created the atomic bomb as part of the Manhattan Project. They knew about the horrible effects of these new weapons and devoted themselves to warning the public about the consequences of using them. Over the years, however, the Bulletin's mission has grown to educating the public on climate change, new developments in the life sciences, and emerging technologies that could inflict irrevocable harm.

The Bulletin has published the writings of Hans Bethe, Albert Einstein, Leo Szilard, Edward Teller, J. Robert Oppenheimer, Michael Polanyi, Mikhail Gorbachev, among hundreds of other notables. The Bulletin's Board of Sponsors features 18 Nobel laureates. Could you be the next? That's what we're waiting to discover!

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