Competition
Entries
Events
There are 25 events at Henley Women’s Regatta 2026 in championship, aspirational, development, junior and para-rowing categories.
Championship and championship lightweight events
The Ron Needs Cup – for championship eights
The Avril Vellacott Cup – for championship coxless fours
The Redgrave Challenge Vase – for championship coxless pairs
The Borne Cup – for championship quadruple sculls
The W. Peer Cup – for championship double sculls
The George Innes Cup – for championship single sculls
The Haslam Trophy – for championship lightweight double sculls
The Godfrey Rowsports Trophy – for championship lightweight single sculls
The Parkside Trophy for lightweight coxless pairs has been withdrawn.
Aspirational and aspirational lightweight events
The Colgan Foundation Cup – for aspirational academic eights
The Copas Cup – for aspirational club eights
The Cathy Cruickshank Trophy – for aspirational academic coxless fours
The Lester Trophy – for aspirational club coxless fours
The Nina Padwick Trophy – for aspirational academic quadruple sculls
The Chairman’s Trophy – for aspirational club quadruple sculls
The Rosie Mayglothling Trophy – for aspirational double sculls
The Bernard and Pauline Churcher Trophy – for aspirational single sculls
The Fiona Dennis Trophy – for aspirational lightweight single sculls
Development event
The Frank V Harry Cup – for development coxed fours
Junior events
The Peabody Cup – for junior eights
The Groton School Challenge Cup – for junior coxed fours
The Bea Langridge Trophy – for junior quadruple sculls
The Rayner Cup – for junior double sculls
The Di Ellis Trophy – for junior single sculls
Para-rowing events
The Grosvenor Cup – for PR3 single sculls
The Vesta Cup – for PR2 single sculls
Key entries dates for HWR 2026
Friday , 1 May 2026: Entries open on BROE.
Friday, 15 May 2026: Last day for international crews wishing to enter any event other than Championship, Championship Lightweight or Junior to submit rowing CVs for crew members to entries@hwr.org.uk
Saturday, 23 May 2026: Date by which HWR will provide decisions to overseas crews as a result of CV submission
Tuesday, 2 June 2026: Entries close at 22:59 (UK time)
Saturday, 6 June 2026: Draw takes place
Tuesday, 9 June 2026: Draw published by 12:00
Friday, 19 June 2026: Racing starts from 09:00
Regatta Rules
Please read the regatta rules carefully before entering.
Eligibility rules
The eligibility rules set out below can also be downloaded as a pdf along with the eligibility grid.
Any queries on competitor eligibility should be sent to entries@hwr.org.uk.
Changes from 2025 are marked in red and italics.
1) Entries
1.1) The committee will examine the withdrawal/substitution of any crew after the close of entries or during the regatta and reserves the right to exclude the club/competitor from all other events at the regatta or in the future.
1.2) Any competitor withdrawing from an event, after close of entries, will only be allowed to substitute into another event with the permission of the Chairman of the Race Committee.
1.3) The rules referring to crews do not include coxes, other than doubling up.
1.4) The rules referring to exclusions do not include Beach Sprint achievements.
1.5) It is expected that crews will have raced in the 2025/26 season. Any crews with zero points risk their entry being rejected.
1.6) The Regatta will endeavour to offer as many Championship crews as possible a side-by-side race within the timetable constraints.
2) Events
2.1) All semi-finals and finals will be raced on Sunday, 21 June.
2.2) Doubling up is not allowed.
Championship events - see Regatta Rule 7
- Open to eligible members of any eligible club, see Regatta Rule 3
- Composite crews allowed
- Coxes shall be born before 1 September 2012
- All other competitors must have been born before 1 September 2009 i.e. be at least J17
- American Division 1 crews, who have qualified for NCAA Championships, are expected to enter these events
- No CVs are required for these events (see Regatta Rule 3.3).
Championship lightweight events - see Regatta Rule 7
- Open to eligible members of any eligible club, see Regatta Rule 3
- Composite crews allowed
- No juniors allowed
- American Division 1 crews, who have qualified for NCAA Championships, are expected to enter these events
- The crew average must not exceed 57kg, and no competitor may exceed 59kg
- No CVs are required for these events (see Regatta Rule 3.3).
Aspirational events - see Regatta Rule 7
- Open to eligible members of any eligible club, see Regatta Rule 3
- Composite crews allowed
- Coxes shall be born before 1 September 2012
- All other competitors must have been born before 1 September 2009 i.e. be at least J17
- All overseas crews are required to submit a rowing CV (per Regatta Rule 3.3) detailing all wins, both rowing and sculling, to be considered for these events.
No crew may contain any competitor, who has been selected (including spares) for a(n):
- Olympic Games
- Paralympic Games
- World Rowing Championships
- World Rowing Cup
- World University Rowing Championships (FISU)
- World Rowing Under 23 Championships
- Commonwealth Rowing Championships
- European Rowing Championships or other continental equivalent.
No crew may contain any competitor who has, from 2021-2026 inclusive:
- Won gold in a women’s openweight Championship event in any boat type at the British Rowing
Club Championships (or the equivalent in any country) - Won a medal at the World Rowing Junior/U19 Championships
- Won a medal at the European Rowing Under 23 Championships or other continental equivalent
- Won a championship/aspirational event at HWR in either discipline
- Won a BUCS Regatta gold medal in a championship openweight event in either discipline (or the equivalent in any country).
- For Irish crews, won a senior openweight event at University Championships
- Won a EUSA gold medal in a championship openweight event in either discipline
- Won a medal in either discipline at the NCAA regatta for openweight events or IRA Championship for Fiona Dennis Trophy (this exclusion does not apply to Division 3 universities)
- Qualified to race through the Qualifying Races, or won a round in an event with no qualifying races,
in any Premier or Intermediate event at Henley Royal Regatta in either discipline - Won any event at Henley Royal Regatta
- Been invited to closed GB trials or equivalent in any country (GB clarification: GB Rowing Team December trial and testing or April trial). Irish competitors who have been to any Irish closed trial should contact the entries secretary.
- Been selected for Oxford/Cambridge in the Blue boat
- For the Fiona Dennis Trophy for lightweight single sculls only: Won a lightweight event at the Home International Regatta (excluding 500m sprint), or a lightweight championship BUCS Regatta (or USA IRA Championship) event or been selected for Oxford/Cambridge in the lightweight crew or won a championship or club event at the senior British Rowing Championships (or the equivalent in any country) or won a lightweight event at EUSA.
Aspirational club events
- No crew shall contain any competitor who is a registered internal student of an academic institution or school and who has raced in an open regatta (not head race) including BUCS in the current season (i.e. 1 September 2021 – 18 June 2026) for that club.
Aspirational academic events
- Competitors shall be registered full time students of the university, school or college for the whole of the academic year 2025/26. For those with a course start date between 1 January and 1 April 2026, they must be a registered full time student for the whole of 2026.
- A student (non-junior) studying at an academic institution not registered with their national federation may, upon written approval from the Race Committee Chairman, race in these events for an alternative affiliated institution.
Development event
- Open to eligible members of one eligible club affiliated to British Rowing, Scottish Rowing, Welsh Rowing or Rowing Ireland. See Regatta Rule 3.
- Crews from Ireland must be of novice or club status level
- Crews are encouraged to use experienced coxes
- Any competitor who has competed in another country and wishes to take part in this event as a member of a UK club is required to contact the Entries Secretary
- Composite crews are not allowed
- Crews may contain a maximum of two juniors who must have been born before 1 September 2010 i.e. be at least J16
- Coxes shall be born before 1 September 2012
- No crew shall contain any competitor who has represented her country in any international regatta at any level/age.
In addition, no crew may contain any competitor who has at any time:
- Previously won any event at HWR
- Previously qualified via the time trial for any event at HWR except Development 4+ or any Junior or J16 events
- Previously won a round at HWR in any event except Development 4+
- Competed in any non-lightweight Championship event at BUCS Regatta
- Won a gold medal in a Lightweight Championship event at BUCS Regatta
- Won a Championship or Intermediate event at BUCS Regatta or Irish University Championships
- Won a Championship or Club event the British Rowing Club Championships (or the equivalent in any country) in either discipline, irrespective of number of crews raced
- Won a medal at National Schools Regatta in a Championship event or won a medal in a J18 event at the British Rowing Junior Championships (or the equivalent in any country) in either discipline, irrespective of number of crews raced
- Placed in the top 50 in the Women’s Eights Head of the River Race
- Been classified as time only in the Women’s Eights Head of the River Race and achieved a time which would place them in the top 50 in that year
- Raced in any event at Henley Royal Regatta in either discipline, irrespective of whether there were Qualifying Races or not
- Been invited to closed Senior or Junior GB trial or equivalent in any country
- Been selected for Oxford or Cambridge in any crew (Open or Lightweight) including spares.
Para competitors or competitors wishing to enter this event should contact the Entries Secretary at entries@hwr.org.uk.
Junior events
All events are classified as Junior.
- Open to eligible members of any eligible club or academic institution. See Regatta Rule 3.
- Composite crews allowed; composite crews which include final triallists for the junior team or similar are expected to enter an Aspirational event
- Any coach wishing to enter a composite crew into a Junior event must contract entries@hwr.org.uk
- Competitors including coxes must not have attained 18 years of age before 1 September 2025
- At least 50% of the crew (excluding cox) must be born between 1 September 2007 and 31 August 2010 i.e. are J18, J17 or J16. The remaining crew members must be at least J15 i.e. born before 1 September 2011
- Competitors in the Di Ellis Trophy must be born between 1 September 2007 and 31 August 2009 i.e. are J18 or J17. Any J16 or younger entries will not be accepted.
- Coxes shall be born before 1 September 2012.
Para-rowing events
- Open to competitors who have a World Rowing Para classification
- Open to eligible members of any eligible club or academic institution (see Regatta Rule 3)
- Competitors must have been born before 1 September 2009 i.e. be at least J17
- Where there are more than four entries the first round may be run as a time trial on Friday, 19 June.
How to enter Henley Women's Regatta
Entries must adhere to the Regatta Rules.
All entries must be made using the British Rowing Online Entries system (BROE).
Entry fees for HWR 2026 will be announced in Spring 2026.
Refunds will be make promptly for any paid-for crew withdrawn before the close of entries.
Using BROE for Scottish, Irish and International crew entries
This requires a straightforward 4-step process:
- If your club is not already set up to use BROE, the club’s Entries Administrator should contact competitions@BritishRowing.org and ask to be set up
- Each competitor takes out a British Rowing Scottish & Overseas Race Licence
- The club Entries Administrator enters the crew in BROE
- The club Entries Administrator pays the entry fee in BROE.
We strongly recommend that clubs and their competitors start registering with British Rowing as early as possible to allow time to complete the process – remember that that every competitor needs to register on the system before entries can be made.
Please note that the last Monday in May is a bank holiday in the UK so British Rowing staff will not be at work that day to assist with the entry process.
The entry process and payment need to be complete before the close of entry (see Regatta Rules clause 4.2). Entries CANNOT be made after this date and any unpaid entries will NOT be accepted.
Contact our entries team on entries@hwr.org.uk as soon as you know that you plan to enter the regatta, We can help you through the process and assist with your queries.
Don’t forget that international crews wishing to enter Aspirational events must submit a rowing CV (per Regatta Rule 3.3) and the deadline for doing this is earlier than the closing date for entries.
Further entries actions
All boats must:
- Display display boat identification stickers comprising a 6-character (3 letters+3 digits) code on their boat. Find out more >>
- Be registered with the Environment Agency (EA) – a fee applies. Clubs affiliated to British Rowing can do this via British Rowing ClubHub. Otehr visiting crews can buy a temporary licence directly from the Environment Agency. Find out more >>
Overseas crews renting boats should check with the club or supplier regarding its boat identification stickers and EA registration, both of which are specific to the boat not the crew.
Travelling to the UK
Next regatta
19-21 June 2026
The road to HWR
In the run up to HWR 2025, we talked to Leicester RC scullers Eleanor Gough and Lizzie Webster – and their coach Howard Marsh – who went on to win the aspirational double sculls.
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