At bodybuilding competitions, size matters. That’s why the world’s two most popular events are ponying up for prestige.
- During the Men’s Open finale, organizers at the 2024 Olympia announced that winner Samson Dauda would take home an all-time-high cash prize of $600,000.
- Months prior, in March, Arnold Schwarzenegger beefed up the first-place reward of the Arnold Classic from $300,000 to half a million dollars starting in 2025.
Even events outside of bodybuilding, such as the rapidly expanding Rogue Invitational, are adding to their piles. Let’s take a closer look at the winnings offered by top bodybuilding competitions and see whether this cold war will affect bodybuilding’s already-heated climate.
Mr. Olympia & Arnold Classic: Winnings Over Time
The first Mr. Olympia was held in 1965, and nobody made a dime off it. In 1966, inaugural winner Larry Scott took home a $1,000 cash prize, or about $9,900 today. Adjusted for inflation, the purse at the “O” grew steadily until 1990, stagnated until 2009 (shoutout Jay Cutler’s quad stomp), then ballooned up to the half-ish million haul that contemporary winners take home today.
The Arnold Classic, the flagship bodybuilding event of the Arnold Sports Festival, has packed its piñata over the years as well — but never too much, until recently.
- “We have to have an agreement,” Schwarzenegger in 2022 recalled once being told by Mr. Olympia co-founder Ben Weider. “You cannot offer more money [at the Arnold Classic] than we’re offering at the Olympia.”
It’s unclear whether Schwarzenegger’s coalition implicitly or explicitly held to this agreement over the years. While the Mr. Olympia had held steady at $400,000 since 2015, the Arnold Classic started ramping up its winnings in 2021:
- 2021 Arnold Classic: Nick Walker, $130,000
- 2022 Arnold Classic: Brandon Curry, $200,000
- 2023 Arnold Classic: Samson Dauda, $300,000
- 2024 Arnold Classic: Hadi Choopan, $300,000
On stage in the Greater Columbus Convention Center, while crowning Choopan the winner, Schwarzenegger proudly announced that in 2025, the Arnold Classic would leapfrog the Mr. Olympia and plant their flag as the world’s first bodybuilding event to offer a half-million prize to the winner.
“I don’t feel obliged anymore with the ‘rules,’” Schwarzenegger quipped on stage.
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Schwarzenegger appears to have forced the hands of the top brass at the Mr. Olympia. Mum was the word about 2024’s prize money in the weeks leading up to the “O.” On site at the Resorts World Arena in Las Vegas, NV, where the event was held from Oct. 10 to 13, BarBend correspondent Roger Lockridge fished for specifics on the winnings — nobody bit.
But while awarding the finalists of the Men’s Open division on Oct. 12, the Olympia’s owner, Jake Wood, made a speech on stage to inform that silver medalist Choopan would take home a $250,000 check. Wood then added:
- “I’m not the kind of person to tell you what I’m going to do next year,” he said. “[Here’s what] I’m going to do this year.” He then announced the $600,000 prize for the winner, Dauda.
It’s worth noting that the Mr. Olympia’s beefed-up winnings announcement might not have been a complete shock to those within bodybuilding. A few days before the show, RxMuscle Podcast host Dave Palumbo cited the $600,000 figure while discussing the withdrawal of Nick Walker, though it’s unclear if it was a slip of the tongue or a mistake on his part.
Mr. Olympia vs. Arnold Classic: Who Wins?
The Mr. Olympia and Arnold Classic’s bidding war is a good omen for fans and athletes alike. Higher prize pools raise the profile and prestige of these events while also encouraging more athletes to participate.
Dauda has already committed to competing at the Arnold in 2025. “You’d best believe I’m going to be on that stage,” he said one day after winning the Mr. Olympia.
- If Dauda wins the Arnold Classic in 2025, he’ll have pocketed just over $1 million in less than six months solely from competing.
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Cash injections are hard to complain about, but they aren’t a perfect solution. The vast majority of total winnings are allocated to the top three finishers in any bodybuilding show.
Qualified athletes who can’t squeeze onto the podium don’t benefit nearly as much — Olympia fourth-placer Martin Fitzwater took home just $5,000 more than number five Andrew Jacked.
Both the Mr. Olympia and Arnold Classic could benefit from ensuring those down-ballot races have alluring incentives attached. Community engagement is one of the fan-friendly tactics employed by the organizers of the Rogue Invitational:
- The 2024 Invitational, which showcases both CrossFit and strongman events, has a $1.7-million dollar prize purse as of Oct. 17, 2024, to be awarded to the 40 participants.
- The winnings consist of an up-front investment by Rogue Fitness, while fans can contribute by purchasing merchandise and equipment, wherein a portion of each sale adds to the pot.
Whether by communal funding or friendly rivalry, more money in strength and physique sports is undeniably a good thing. Since 2017, only Mamdouh “Big Ramy” Elssbiay has won the Mr. Olympia more than once; a bulked-up prize purse matches bodybuilding’s hotly competitive climate.
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