Go prize money
43 players have been paid £29,578,513 across 9 years from 2017 to 2025. Shin Jin-seo has won the most, £5,165,201. A Go professional is paid twice over: prize money for how far they get in a tournament, and a fee for every official game they play, so a player who loses a title match is still paid for each game of it. The money lists add the two together for the calendar year, at home and in the international cups, and rank men and women on one list. In Japan the professionals belong to one of two bodies, each ranking its own, and the players here are those of the larger, the Nihon Ki-in. In Korea the leading players also play in the Chinese league, which is counted too. Shin Jin-seo topped the Korean list with ₩1,479,617,514 in 2023, the most any player has earned in a year on either list.
The Go money list
The top 43 of 43 players by career prize money
| # | PLAYER | NATION | YEARS TOP | PRIZE MONEY |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shin Jin-seo | South Korea | 6 | £5,165,201£5.2m |
| 2 | Park Junghwan | South Korea | 3 | £3,635,904£3.6m |
| 3 | Ichiriki Ryo | Japan | 3 | £2,696,284£2.7m |
| 4 | Iyama Yuta | Japan | 3 | £2,612,813£2.6m |
| 5 | Byun Sang-il | South Korea | 0 | £1,748,530£1.7m |
| 6 | Choi Jeong | South Korea | 0 | £1,606,173£1.6m |
| 7 | Shibano Toramaru | Japan | 0 | £1,535,059£1.5m |
| 8 | Shin Min-jun | South Korea | 0 | £1,337,736£1.3m |
| 9 | Kang Dong-yun | South Korea | 0 | £935,004£935k |
| 10 | Kim Ji-seok | South Korea | 0 | £844,712£845k |
| 11 | Ueno Asami | Japan | 0 | £804,665£805k |
| 12 | Fujisawa Rina | Japan | 0 | £780,691£781k |
| 13 | Kyo Kagen | Japan | 0 | £726,709£727k |
| 14 | Lee Dong-hoon | South Korea | 0 | £510,194£510k |
| 15 | Kim Eun-ji | South Korea | 0 | £434,765£435k |
| 16 | Kim Myung-hoon | South Korea | 0 | £405,335£405k |
| 17 | Oh Yu-jin | South Korea | 0 | £368,938£369k |
| 18 | Park Yeong-hun | South Korea | 0 | £298,678£299k |
| 19 | Seki Kotaro | Japan | 0 | £284,478£284k |
| 20 | Lee Sedol | South Korea | 0 | £267,592£268k |
| 21 | Yamashita Keigo | Japan | 0 | £250,310£250k |
| 22 | Kono Rin | Japan | 0 | £240,465£240k |
| 23 | Ueno Risa | Japan | 0 | £191,930£192k |
| 24 | An Sung-joon | South Korea | 0 | £186,746£187k |
| 25 | An Kuk-hyun | South Korea | 0 | £176,428£176k |
| 26 | Lee Chang-seok | South Korea | 0 | £175,992£176k |
| 27 | Hane Naoki | Japan | 0 | £127,668£128k |
| 28 | Fukuoka Kotaro | Japan | 0 | £124,046£124k |
| 29 | Seol Hyun-jun | South Korea | 0 | £113,860£114k |
| 30 | Lee Ji-hyun | South Korea | 0 | £112,013£112k |
| 31 | Choi Cheol-han | South Korea | 0 | £97,407£97k |
| 32 | Won Seong-jin | South Korea | 0 | £97,028£97k |
| 33 | Hirata Tomoya | Japan | 0 | £83,573£84k |
| 34 | Park Geon-ho | South Korea | 0 | £77,642£78k |
| 35 | Ida Atsushi | Japan | 0 | £74,799£75k |
| 36 | Miura Taro | Japan | 0 | £66,916£67k |
| 37 | Cho U | Japan | 0 | £60,326£60k |
| 38 | Nakamura Sumire | Japan | 0 | £57,928£58k |
| 39 | Niu Eiko | Japan | 0 | £57,903£58k |
| 40 | Shida Tatsuya | Japan | 0 | £57,446£57k |
| 41 | Motoki Katsuya | Japan | 0 | £56,879£57k |
| 42 | Sakai Yuki | Japan | 0 | £51,305£51k |
| 43 | Park Ha-min | South Korea | 0 | £40,442£40k |
The top fifteen
Every money list
2 money lists, by the prize money each has paid
| MONEY LIST | YEARS | LATEST TOP EARNER | PAID |
|---|---|---|---|
| Korea Go Money List | 9 | Shin Jin-seo | £18,636,320£18.6m |
| Japan Go Money List | 6 | Ichiriki Ryo | £10,942,193£10.9m |
What each money list has paid
Year by year
What Go paid each year, and who earned the most
| YEAR | TOP EARNER | MONEY LISTS | PAID |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Shin Jin-seo | 2 | £3,930,122£3.9m |
| 2024 | Shin Jin-seo | 2 | £4,150,397£4.2m |
| 2023 | Shin Jin-seo | 2 | £4,271,845£4.3m |
| 2022 | Shin Jin-seo | 2 | £4,052,212£4.1m |
| 2021 | Iyama Yuta | 2 | £3,990,533£4.0m |
| 2020 | Iyama Yuta | 2 | £3,666,989£3.7m |
| 2019 | Park Junghwan | 1 | £1,961,827£2.0m |
| 2018 | Park Junghwan | 1 | £2,181,984£2.2m |
| 2017 | Park Junghwan | 1 | £1,372,604£1.4m |
Prize money paid per year
Go prize money by country
2 nations, by what their players have won
| # | NATION | PLAYERS | PRIZE MONEY |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Korea | 22 | £18,636,320£18.6m |
| 2 | Japan | 21 | £10,942,193£10.9m |
The leading nations
Frequently asked questions
Who has won the most prize money in Go?
Shin Jin-seo, with £5,165,201 and 6 years at the top. Park Junghwan is second on £3,635,904.
What is the most anyone has won in one Go money list in a year?
£817,813, by Shin Jin-seo in the 2023 Korea Go Money List, the most in any year we hold.
How much prize money was paid in Go in 2025?
£3,930,122 across 2 money lists. Shin Jin-seo earned the most that year, £668,596.
Which money list pays the most?
Korea Go Money List has paid £18,636,320 across 9 years. The richest single year was the 2023 Korea Go Money List, at £2,450,947.
Which country has won the most Go prize money?
South Korea, with £18,636,320 across 22 players.
Where to next
For every country's prize money across Go and every other sport we hold, see prize money by nation. The richest money list here is Korea Go Money List, and the latest year is 2025.