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SWIMMING PRIZE MONEY · MEN AND WOMEN

Men's and women's swimming prize money

In 2025 the men's field was paid £724,060 across 9 editions and the women's £799,248 across 9 editions. Where both fields play the same competition, the two winners took the same cheque at 24 of 24.

MEN · 2025£724k
WOMEN · 2025£799k
WOMEN AS % OF MEN110%
SAME WINNER'S CHEQUE24 of 24

Every year, both fields

What each field was paid, and the middle winner's cheque of the year

Swimming prize money paid to the men's and women's fields by year.
YEAR MEN WOMEN WOMEN AS % OF MEN MEN'S WIN WOMEN'S WIN
2025 £724,060£724k £799,248£799k 110% £9,023£9k £9,023£9k
2024 £735,338£735k £750,602£751k 102% £5,827£6k £5,827£6k
2023 £693,985£694k £739,474£739k 107% £9,023£9k £9,023£9k
2022 £651,128£651k £628,196£628k 96% £9,023£9k £9,023£9k
2021 £553,384£553k £545,865£546k 99% £9,023£9k £9,023£9k

The men's field, year by year

The women's field, year by year

The same competition, both fields

The winner's cheque at every competition that runs a men's and a women's edition, in the latest year it did

Winner's cheques for men and women at the same swimming competition.
COMPETITION YEAR MEN'S WINNER WOMEN'S WINNER MEN'S FIELD WOMEN'S FIELD
World Cup series 2025 £75,188£75k £75,188£75k £264,662£265k £302,256£302k
Open Water World Cup series 2025 £37,594£38k £37,594£38k £131,579£132k £131,579£132k
World Cup Toronto 2025 £9,023£9k £9,023£9k £114,286£114k £114,286£114k
World Cup Westmont 2025 £9,023£9k £9,023£9k £84,211£84k £114,286£114k
World Cup Carmel 2025 £9,023£9k £9,023£9k £84,211£84k £91,729£92k
Open Water World Cup Golfo Aranci 2025 £2,632£3k £2,632£3k £11,278£11k £11,278£11k
Open Water World Cup Setúbal 2025 £2,632£3k £2,632£3k £11,278£11k £11,278£11k
Open Water World Cup Ibiza 2025 £2,632£3k £2,632£3k £11,278£11k £11,278£11k
Open Water World Cup Soma Bay 2025 £2,632£3k £2,632£3k £11,278£11k £11,278£11k
World Cup Singapore 2024 £9,023£9k £9,023£9k £99,248£99k £106,767£107k
World Cup Incheon 2024 £9,023£9k £9,023£9k £84,211£84k £99,248£99k
World Cup Shanghai 2024 £9,023£9k £9,023£9k £91,729£92k £84,211£84k
Open Water World Cup NEOM 2024 £2,632£3k £2,632£3k £11,278£11k £11,278£11k
Open Water World Cup Hong Kong 2024 £2,632£3k £2,632£3k £11,278£11k £11,278£11k
World Cup Budapest 2023 £9,023£9k £9,023£9k £84,211£84k £99,248£99k
World Cup Athens 2023 £9,023£9k £9,023£9k £84,211£84k £84,211£84k
World Cup Berlin 2023 £9,023£9k £9,023£9k £84,211£84k £84,211£84k
Open Water World Cup Funchal 2023 £2,632£3k £2,632£3k £11,278£11k £11,278£11k
World Cup Indianapolis 2022 £9,023£9k £9,023£9k £84,211£84k £91,729£92k
Open Water World Cup Eilat 2022 £2,632£3k £2,632£3k £11,278£11k £11,278£11k
Open Water World Cup Lac Mégantic 2022 £2,632£3k £2,632£3k £11,278£11k £11,278£11k
Open Water World Cup Paris 2022 £2,632£3k £2,632£3k £11,278£11k £11,278£11k
World Cup Kazan 2021 £9,023£9k £9,023£9k £91,729£92k £84,211£84k
World Cup Doha 2021 £9,023£9k £9,023£9k £84,211£84k £84,211£84k

The biggest earners in each field

Across every edition we hold

The top swimming swimmers by prize money, men's field.
# MEN'S FIELD NATION PRIZE MONEY
1 Matthew Sates South Africa £196,767£197k
2 Qin Haiyang China £156,391£156k
3 Hubert Kos Hungary £152,857£153k
4 Dylan Carter Trinidad and Tobago £144,887£145k
5 Thomas Ceccon Italy £144,887£145k
6 Noe Ponti Switzerland £135,714£136k
7 Leon Marchand France £134,737£135k
8 Shaine Casas United States £129,173£129k
9 Nic Fink United States £107,293£107k
10 Marc-Antoine Olivier France £103,759£104k
11 Kristof Rasovszky Hungary £95,977£96k
12 Tom Shields United States £77,820£78k
13 Caspar Corbeau Netherlands £76,992£77k
14 Danas Rapsys Lithuania £76,241£76k
15 Arno Kamminga Netherlands £66,692£67k
The top swimming swimmers by prize money, women's field.
# WOMEN'S FIELD NATION PRIZE MONEY
1 Kate Douglass United States £275,188£275k
2 Siobhan Haughey Hong Kong £218,271£218k
3 Kaylee McKeown Australia £211,654£212k
4 Regan Smith United States £154,511£155k
5 Beata Nelson United States £128,947£129k
6 Ginevra Taddeucci Italy £110,902£111k
7 Emma McKeon Australia £108,271£108k
8 Gretchen Walsh United States £105,263£105k
9 Kira Toussaint Netherlands £83,910£84k
10 Lani Pallister Australia £75,714£76k
11 Ana Marcela Cunha Brazil £75,602£76k
12 Leonie Beck Germany £62,368£62k
13 Sharon van Rouwendaal Netherlands £62,030£62k
14 Lea Boy Germany £61,842£62k
15 Madison Wilson Australia £59,023£59k

Frequently asked questions

Do men and women get the same prize money in swimming?

The winner's cheque was the same for both fields at 24 of the 24 competitions that run a men's and a women's edition. In 2025 the men's field was paid £724,060 in all and the women's £799,248.

How big is the gap between men's and women's swimming prize money?

None at any place, since one ladder pays both fields. Across the 5 years we hold, the men were paid £3,357,895 and the women £3,463,384. The difference is bonus money (Triple Crowns, sprint titles and world records), paid to whoever earns it rather than by finishing place. The rest comes from ties: where two swimmers finished level, each was paid the full amount for the place, in 2022, 2023 and 2024.

Who has won the most swimming prize money?

Matthew Sates in the men's field, with £196,767, and Kate Douglass in the women's, with £275,188.

Where to next

Every competition, year and swimmer is on swimming prize money. The latest year on its own is 2025. Every place in sport where the women's side is paid more is on where women earn more prize money than men.