The Helena Whitehill Book Award

A project of Tupelo Press (see other related projects).

About

The Helena Whitehill Book Award is a prestigious national poetry prize for adult writers. Established in 2002, the Prize has drawn submissions from around the country that have been judged by renowned poets such as Martha Collins, Patricia Smith, and Tony Hoagland.

Fees Notice: This project charges fees (or requires purchases) for all submissions.
The fee is USD $30 (above average for contests).

Country of Publication & Year Established

United States

Established in 2023

Publication Medium & Contest Frequency

Print Publication Print Publication: Awarded 1 x per year

AI Policy

Human-created work only; no AI use allowed

30 members set this contest as a Favorite.

Statistics Synopsis

Slower: The Helena Whitehill Book Award's overall average response time is slower than most contests.
More Challenging: The Helena Whitehill Book Award's overall acceptance rate is lower than most contests.
Less Responsive: The Helena Whitehill Book Award's overall rate of non-response is higher than most contests.

Learn more about our statistics

Collapse section Nonfiction Open Fee-based

Dates:

Open to nonfiction submissions through 31 October 2026* (approx. 50 days from now).

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Lengths:

Nonfiction Collection: No specific word count limits known.

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Literary.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics.

Winner's Prize:

Semi-pro advance (US$200-1999) + Unknown royalties Semi-pro advance. Unknown royalties. Details: USD $1,000.

Submissions:

Methods: Online form. Postal.
Reprints: Reprints are NOT allowed.
Simultaneous submissions: Simultaneous submissions are allowed.
Multiple entries: Unknown.
Media: Text.

Collapse section Poetry Open Fee-based

Dates:

Open to poetry submissions through 31 October 2026* (approx. 50 days from now).

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Genres:

General

Lengths:

Poetry Chapbook: No page limits known.
Poetry Collection: No page limits known.

Poetry Forms:

Open to all/most Forms.

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Literary.

Topics:

Open to all/most Topics.

Winner's Prize:

Semi-pro advance (US$200-1999) + Unknown royalties Semi-pro advance. Unknown royalties. Details: USD $1,000.

Submissions:

Methods: Online form. Postal.
Reprints: Reprints are NOT allowed.
Simultaneous submissions: Simultaneous submissions are allowed.
Multiple entries: Unknown.
Media: Text.

Always check guidelines for details and restrictions. If you aren't familiar with these terms, see our glossary.
* We do not know the time and/or timezone, so we cannot be more precise. Submit early to avoid disappointment.

Recent cover image or website screenshot for The Helena Whitehill Book Award

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For the Editor(s):
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Link to Duotrope

The Helena Whitehill Book Award Submission Statistics

The statistics in this section are compiled from submission reports sent to us through our submission tracker. They are not provided by the publication's editors/staff or by Duotrope's admins. Information in this section is updated a few times per day. Learn more about the statistics.

Filter:

Group by submission

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Accuracy

We have received 35 reports from 33 different members within the past 12 months, not including pending responses (see below). The more responses reported, the more accurate the information.

Days Reported

42 min | 124.4 mean avg | 120.5 median | 190 max days (84.0 std dev)

Responses

82.86 %

Acceptances:

0.00 %

Rejections:

82.86 % (125.2 avg. days per rejection) | 3.5 % personal, 58.6 % form, 37.9 % unspecified | 5.7 % shortlisted

Non-Responses

2.86 %

Lost/Returned:

Never Responded:

2.86 % (164.0 avg. days before reporting submissions as never responded)

Withdrawals

14.29 % (97.0 avg. days per withdrawal)

Pending

1 response is pending (320 days waiting).

Other Information

The most common submission fee paid: USD $30.00.
Most submissions are acknowledged on the same day.
Most recent response reported was received on 24 Feb 2026.
Responses have been received for submissions sent as recently as 15 Nov 2025.
Date compiled: 11 Sep 2026 23:44 UTC (less than a minute ago).

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Your Submissions

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Before Submitting

We cannot guarantee that the information on this page is correct. It is not unusual for publications to evolve or close without notice. We do our best to keep up, but it isn't always possible. Duotrope listings do not imply endorsement or recommendation of the project being listed. Before submitting, you should use your own judgment to determine whether the project meets your standards.

Always read the full guidelines provided by the publisher.
Try to read at least one previous publication to get a better idea of what the editor would like to see.
Unless the publisher's guidelines state otherwise, always use industry standard manuscript formatting.
Be professional, patient, and persistent.

Dates

Last Updated: 14 Aug 2026

We check their guidelines for changes every four weeks, and we audit the listing twice a year.