The first large-format CCD color-magnitude diagram (CMD) in the B and V passbands is presented for the Galactic globular cluster M53 (NGC 5024). We have discovered 117 new blue straggler (BS) candidates in the field of M53. The analysis of bright BS stars (V <19.0) clearly shows a bimodal radial distribution, with a high frequency in the inner and outer regions. The distribution is similar to that found in M3, a globular cluster with similar central density and concentration.