| 2008–09 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating | |
| Comptype: | Grand Prix |
| Startdate: | October 23 |
| Enddate: | December 14, 2008 |
| Skatingseason: | 2008–09 |
| Previouscomp: | 2007–08 Grand Prix |
| Nextcomp: | 2009–10 Grand Prix |
The 2008–09 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating was a series of six international invitational competitions in the 2008–09 season. Skaters competed in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies singles, pair skating, and ice dancing on the senior level. At each event, skaters earned points based on their placements and the top six scoring skaters or teams at the end of the series qualified for the 2008–09 Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final, held in Goyang, South Korea.
The Grand Prix series set the stage for the 2009 European Figure Skating Championships, the 2009 Four Continents Figure Skating Championships, the 2009 World Junior Figure Skating Championships, and the 2009 World Figure Skating Championships, as well as each country's national championships. The Grand Prix series began on October 23, 2008 and ended on December 14, 2008.
The Grand Prix was organized by the International Skating Union. Skaters competed for prize money and a chance to compete in the Grand Prix Final. The corresponding series for Junior-level skaters was the 2008–09 ISU Junior Grand Prix.
Skaters who reached the age of 14 by July 1, 2008 were eligible to compete on the senior Grand Prix circuit. The top six skaters from the 2008 World Championships were seeded and were guaranteed two events. Skaters who placed 7th through 12th were also given two events, though they were not considered seeded.
Skaters/teams who medaled at the 2007–08 Junior Grand Prix Final or the 2008 World Junior Championships were guaranteed one event. Skaters who medaled at both the Junior Grand Prix Final and the World Junior Championships were guaranteed only one event.
The host country was allowed to send three skaters/teams of their choosing in each discipline.
The spots remaining were filled from the top 75 skaters/teams in the 2007–08 Season's Best list.
| Date | Event | Location | |
|---|---|---|---|
| October 23–26 | 2008 Skate America |  Everett, Washington, United States | |
| Oct. 31 – Nov. 2 | 2008 Skate Canada International |  Ottawa, Ontario, Canada | |
| November 6–9 | 2008 Cup of China |  Beijing, China | |
| November 13–16 | 2008 Trophée Éric Bompard |  Paris, France | |
| November 20–23 | 2008 Cup of Russia |  Moscow, Russia | |
| November 27–30 | 2008 NHK Trophy |  Tokyo, Japan | |
| December 10–14 | 2008–09 Grand Prix Final |  Goyang, South Korea |
| Nation | skater | Assignment(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belarus | |||
| Belgium | |||
| Canada | |||
| Canada | Skate Canada International, Trophée Éric Bompard | ||
| Canada | Cup of China, Cup of Russia | ||
| Canada | |||
| Canada | Skate America (added) | ||
| Canada | Skate America, NHK Trophy | ||
| Canada | Skate America, Skate Canada International (added) | ||
| Canada | Skate Canada International (added), Cup of China (added) | ||
| China | Cup of China | ||
| China | |||
| China | |||
| China | Cup of China, Trophée Éric Bompard (added) | ||
| China | Cup of China | ||
| Czech Republic | Cup of China, Cup of Russia | ||
| France | Trophée Éric Bompard (added) | ||
| France | Trophée Éric Bompard, Cup of Russia | ||
| France | |||
| France | Skate Canada International, NHK Trophy | ||
| France | Trophée Éric Bompard, Cup of Russia | ||
| Germany | Trophée Éric Bompard, NHK Trophy (added) | ||
| Italy | |||
| Japan | Skate America, Trophée Éric Bompard | ||
| Japan | NHK Trophy | ||
| Japan | Cup of China | ||
| Japan | Skate Canada International, NHK Trophy (added) | ||
| Japan | NHK Trophy | ||
| Japan | |||
| Russia | Cup of China, Cup of Russia | ||
| Russia | |||
| Russia | Trophée Éric Bompard (added), NHK Trophy | ||
| Russia | Cup of Russia | ||
| Russia | Skate Canada International | ||
| Russia | Skate Canada International, Cup of Russia | ||
| Slovakia | Skate America (added), Trophée Éric Bompard (added) | ||
| Slovenia | Trophée Éric Bompard | ||
| Sweden | Cup of China, Cup of Russia | ||
| Sweden | Skate America, NHK Trophy | ||
| Switzerland | |||
| Switzerland | NHK Trophy (added) | ||
| Ukraine | Skate Canada International (added), NHK Trophy (added) | ||
| United States | Cup of China, Cup of Russia | ||
| United States | Skate Canada International, Trophée Éric Bompard | ||
| United States | Cup of China, NHK Trophy | ||
| United States | Skate America, Skate Canada International | ||
| United States | Skate Canada International, Trophée Éric Bompard | ||
| United States | Skate America, Cup of Russia | ||
| United States | Skate America, NHK Trophy |
| Event | Date | Discipline | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skate America | October 25 | Pairs | Aliona Savchenko / Robin Szolkowy | Keauna McLaughlin / Rockne Brubaker | Maria Mukhortova / Maxim Trankov |
| Men | Takahiko Kozuka | Johnny Weir | Evan Lysacek | ||
| October 26 | Ice dancing | Isabelle Delobel / Olivier Schoenfelder | Tanith Belbin / Benjamin Agosto |  Sinead Kerr / John Kerr | |
| Ladies | Kim Yuna | Yukari Nakano | Miki Ando | ||
| Event | Date | Discipline | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skate Canada | November 1 | Pairs | Yuko Kawaguchi / Alexander Smirnov | Jessica Dubé / Bryce Davison | Keauna McLaughlin / Rockne Brubaker |
| Men | Patrick Chan | Ryan Bradley | Evan Lysacek | ||
| Ladies | Joannie Rochette | Fumie Suguri | Alissa Czisny | ||
| November 2 | Ice dancing | Meryl Davis / Charlie White | Vanessa Crone / Paul Poirier | Nathalie Péchalat / Fabian Bourzat | |
| Event | Date | Discipline | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cup of China | November 7 | Pairs | Zhang Dan / Zhang Hao |  Tatiana Volosozhar / Stanislav Morozov | Pang Qing / Tong Jian |
| November 8 | Ladies | Kim Yuna | Miki Ando |  Laura Lepistö | |
| Ice dancing | Oksana Domnina / Maxim Shabalin | Tanith Belbin / Benjamin Agosto | Jana Khokhlova / Sergei Novitski | ||
| Men | Jeremy Abbott | Stephen Carriere |  Tomáš Verner | ||
| Event | Date | Discipline | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trophée Eric Bompard | November 15 | Men | Patrick Chan | Takahiko Kozuka | Alban Préaubert |
| Pairs | Aliona Savchenko / Robin Szolkowy | Maria Mukhortova / Maxim Trankov | Meagan Duhamel / Craig Buntin | ||
| Ladies | Joannie Rochette | Mao Asada | Caroline Zhang | ||
| Ice dancing | Isabelle Delobel / Olivier Schoenfelder |  Federica Faiella / Massimo Scali | Sinead Kerr / John Kerr | ||
| Event | Date | Discipline | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cup of Russia | November 22 | Ladies | Carolina Kostner | Rachael Flatt | Fumie Suguri |
| Pairs | Zhang Dan / Zhang Hao | Yuko Kawaguchi / Alexander Smirnov | Tatiana Volosozhar / Stanislav Morozov | ||
| Men | Brian Joubert | Tomáš Verner | Alban Préaubert | ||
| November 23 | Ice dancing | Jana Khokhlova / Sergei Novitski | Oksana Domnina / Maxim Shabalin | Meryl Davis / Charlie White | |
| Event | Date | Discipline | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NHK Trophy | November 29 | Pairs | Pang Qing / Tong Jian | Rena Inoue / John Baldwin | Jessica Dubé / Bryce Davison |
| Ice dancing | Federica Faiella / Massimo Scali | Nathalie Péchalat / Fabian Bourzat | Emily Samuelson / Evan Bates | ||
| Ladies | Mao Asada | Akiko Suzuki | Yukari Nakano | ||
| November 30 | Men | Nobunari Oda | Johnny Weir | Yannick Ponsero | |
| Event | Date | Discipline | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Prix Final ( ) | December 13 | Ice dancing | Isabelle Delobel / Olivier Schoenfelder | Oksana Domnina / Maxim Shabalin | Meryl Davis / Charlie White |
| Men | Jeremy Abbott | Takahiko Kozuka | Johnny Weir | ||
| Ladies | Mao Asada | Kim Yuna | Carolina Kostner | ||
| Pairs | Pang Qing / Tong Jian | Zhang Dan / Zhang Hao | Aliona Savchenko / Robin Szolkowy | ||
After the final event, the 2008 NHK Trophy, the six skaters/teams with the most points advanced to the Grand Prix Final. The qualification point system is as follows:
| Placement | Points (Singles/Dance) | Points (Pairs) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Place | 15 Points | 15 Points | |
| 2nd Place | 13 Points | 13 Points | |
| 3rd Place | 11 Points | 11 Points | |
| 4th Place | 9 Points | 9 Points | |
| 5th Place | 7 Points | 7 Points | |
| 6th Place | 5 Points | 5 Points | |
| 7th Place | 4 Points | ||
| 8th Place | 3 Points |
There were seven tie-breakers in cases of a tie in overall points:
If a tie remained, it was considered unbreakable and the tied skaters all qualified for the Grand Prix Final.
Skaters in bold qualified for the Grand Prix Final.
The total prize money was $180,000 per event in the series and $272,000 for the Final. All amounts are in U.S. dollars. Pairs and dance teams split the money. The breakdown was as follows:
| Placement | Prize money (series) | Prize money (final) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | $18,000 | $25,000 | |
| 2nd | $13,000 | $18,000 | |
| 3rd | $9,000 | $12,000 | |
| 4th | $3,000 | $6,000 | |
| 5th | $2,000 | $4,000 | |
| 6th | - | $3,000 |
