The 1981 John Player All England Open Badminton Championships was the 71st edition of the event. It was held between March 25 and March 29, 1981, in London.

Category	Winners	Runners-up	Score
Men's singles	Liem Swie King	Prakash Padukone	11-15, 15–4, 15–6
Women's singles	Hwang Sun-ai	Lene Køppen	11–1, 11–2
Men's doubles	Rudy Heryanto & Hariamanto Kartono	Tjun Tjun & Johan Wahjudi	15–9, 15–8
Women's doubles	Jane Webster & Nora Perry	Gillian Gilks & Paula Kilvington	15-8, 15-4
Mixed doubles	Mike Tredgett & Nora Perry	Christian Hadinata & Imelda Wiguna	15-10, 14–18, 15–10

	Round of 32							Round of 16							Quarter-finals							Semi-finals
		Liem Swie King	15	15
		Andy Goode	5	9					Swie King	15	15
		Syed Modi	15	18					Modi	10	7
		Michael Kjeldsen	11	16												Swie King	15	15
		Kevin Jolly	15	15												Jolly	2	9
		Sanjay Sharma	2	6					Jolly	15	15
		Kinji Zeniya	15	15					Zeniya	12	6
		Tjokaykie	3	11																			Swie King	8	15	15
		Morten Frost	15	15																			Frost	15	8	5
		Roy Diaz Gonzalez	6	6					Frost	15	15
		Gary Scott	15	5	15				Scott	5	3
		Yoshitaka Iino	12	15	12											Frost	15	15
		Hadiyanto	15	15												Hadiyanto	8	4
		John Czich	4	3					Hadiyanto	15	15
		Gert Helsholt	15	15					Helsholt	5	9
		Dan Travers	9	4

	Round of 32							Round of 16							Quarter-finals							Semi-finals
		Prakash Padukone	15	15
		Ulf Johansson	7	5					Padukone	15	15
		Icuk Sugiarto	15	10	15				Sugiarto	6	10
		Hiroyuki Hasegawa	10	15	6											Padukone	15	15
		Lius Pongoh	15	15												Pongoh	8	7
		Nick Yates	9	4					Pongoh	15	15
		Udom Luangpetcharaporn	15	15					Luangpetcharaporn	4	7
		Svend Pri	12	9																			Padukone	10	15	15
		Dhany Sartika	15	15																			Hartono	15	7	8
		Ray Stevens	10	11					Sartika	9	15	15
		Kenneth Larsen	15	15					Larsen	15	5	7
		Philip Sutton	10	7												Sartika	11	15
		Rudy Hartono	15	15												Hartono	2	15
		Paul Whetnall	8	6					Hartono	15	15
		Misbun Sidek	15	15					Sidek	4	11
		Masao Tsuchida	13	8

	Round of 32							Round of 16							Quarter-finals							Semi-finals
		Lene Køppen	10	11	11
		Saori Kondo	12	9	3				Køppen	11	11
		Mary Leeves	11	11	11				Leeves	1	6
		Taty Sumirah	13	7	3											Køppen	11	11
		Karen Bridge	11	11												Bridge	1	3
		Wendy Carter	3	6					Bridge	11	11
		Kimiko Jinnai	11	11					Jinnai	8	5
		Tjan So Gwan	9	3																			Køppen	11	10	11
		Verawaty Wiharjo	11	11																			Verawaty	8	12	9
		Fumiko Tohkairin	2	2					Verawaty	11	7	11
		Sally Leadbeater	6	11	11				Leadbeater	6	11	8
		Nettie Nielsen	11	4	7											Verawaty	11	6	11
		Kim Yun-ja	11	12												Kim	7	11	6
		Atsuko Tokuda	6	10					Kim	11	11
		Pia Nielsen	11	11					Nielsen	4	7
		Liselotte Blumer	5	7

	Round of 32							Round of 16							Quarter-finals							Semi-finals
		Ivana Lie	11	3	11
		Diane Underwood	4	11	8				Ivana	11	11
		Ami Ghia	11	5	12				Ghia	1	3
		Kirsten Larsen	6	11	10											Ivana	12	11
		Yoshiko Yonekura	11	11												Yonekura	11	7
		Dorte Kjær	1	6					Yonekura	11	4	11
		Helen Troke	11	11					Troke	6	11	6
		Jane Youngberg	5	8																			Ivana	11	7	0
		Hwang Sun-ai	11	11																			Hwang Sun-ai	5	11	11
		Paula Kilvington	3	4					Hwang Sun-ai	11	11
		Sumiko Kitada	11	11					Kitada	1	2
		P Novianti	7	4												Hwang Sun-ai	11	12
		Jane Webster	11	11												Webster	6	10
		Lotte Hartwich	4	8					Webster	11	11
		Svetlana Belyasova	12	8	11				Belyasova	2	0
		Rikke von Sørensen	10	11	6

	Semifinals							Final
	Christian Hadinata Ade Chandra		12	15	12
	Hariamanto Kartono Rudy Heryanto		15	5	15
								Hariamanto Kartono Rudy Heryanto		15	15
								Tjun Tjun Johan Wahjudi		9	8
	Thomas Kihlström Stefan Karlsson		5	15
	Tjun Tjun Johan Wahjudi		15	17

	Semifinals							Final
	Atsuko Tokuda Yoshiko Yonekura		18	12	15
	Gillian Gilks Paula Kilvington		17	15	18
								Gillian Gilks Paula Kilvington		8	4
								Nora Perry Jane Webster		15	15
	Kim Yun-ja Yoo Sang-hee		5	0
	Nora Perry Jane Webster		15	15

	Semifinals							Final
	Christian Hadinata Imelda Wiguna		15	15
	Thomas Kihlström Gillian Gilks		9	9
								Christian Hadinata Imelda Wiguna		10	18	10
								Mike Tredgett Nora Perry		15	14	15
	Steen Fladberg Pia Nielsen		3	7
	Mike Tredgett Nora Perry		15	15

• "All England Championships am 25./29.3.1981 in London" (in German). Badminton-Sport. May 1981. p. 13.