Prince William announces 15 Finalists for inaugural year of the £50 million Earthshot Prize
17.9.2021 20:01:00 EEST | Business Wire | Press release
The Earthshot Prize announces today its first-ever shortlist of 15 Finalists, each with a chance of winning £1million to support their innovative environmental solutions to the greatest challenges facing the planet.
Prince William said: "Over half a century ago, President Kennedy’s ‘Moonshot’ programme united millions of people around the goal of reaching the moon. Inspired by this, The Earthshot Prize aims to mobilise collective action around our unique ability to innovate, problem solve and repair our planet.
“I am honoured to introduce the 15 innovators, leaders, and visionaries who are the first ever Finalists for The Earthshot Prize. They are working with the urgency required in this decisive decade for life on Earth and will inspire all of us with their optimism in our ability to rise to the greatest challenges in human history.”
Launched by Prince William and The Royal Foundation in October 2020, The Earthshot Prize is the most prestigious global environment prize in history. Like President John F. Kennedy’s ‘Moonshot’ did almost 60 years ago, the Prize aims to unleash an unprecedented wave of innovation and leadership to tackle our greatest environmental challenges. The Earthshot Prize will be awarded every year for the next decade, discovering a total of 50 Winners.
Five of these 15 Finalists will be awarded The Earthshot Prize and will win £1million in Prize funding for the best solutions of the five Earthshot goals: Protect and Restore Nature; Clean our Air; Revive our Oceans; Build a Waste-free World; and Fix our Climate. The Winners will be announced during an awards ceremony on 17th October from London’s Alexandra Palace, broadcast in the UK on BBC One and globally on Discovery+.
The Earthshot Prize Finalists for 2021 are:
Protect and Restore Nature:
- Pole Pole Foundation, Democratic Republic of Congo
An inspiring community-led model of conservation that protects gorillas and local livelihoods.
- The Republic of Costa Rica
A pioneering scheme paying local citizens to restore natural ecosystems that has led to a revival of the rainforest.
- Restor, Switzerland
A ground-breaking online platform connecting and empowering local conservation projects.
Clean our Air:
- The Blue Map App, China
China’s first public environmental database enabling citizens to hold polluters to account.
- Takachar, India
A pioneering technology to create profitable products from agricultural waste and put a stop to the burning of crops.
- Vinisha Umashankar, India
A 14-year-old innovator and activist who has designed a solar-powered ironing cart with the potential to improve air quality across India.
Revive our Oceans:
- Coral Vita, Bahamas
A truly cutting-edge breakthrough in coral farming that can restore our world’s dying coral reefs.
- Living Seawalls, Australia
Innovative and replicable seawall panels bringing marine life back to coastal sea defences.
- Pristine Seas, USA
An unprecedented global conservation programme protecting 6.5 million square km of the world’s ocean.
Build a Waste-Free World:
- The City of Milan Food Waste Hubs, Italy
A city-wide initiative that has dramatically cut waste while tackling hunger.
- Sanergy, Kenya
A circular sanitation solution that converts human waste into safe products for local farmers.
- WOTA BOX, Japan
A tiny water treatment plant that turns 98% of wastewater into clean water.
Fix our Climate:
- AEM Electrolyser, Thailand/Germany/Italy
An ingenious green hydrogen technology developed to transform how we power our homes and buildings.
- Reeddi Capsules, Nigeria
Solar-powered energy capsules making electricity affordable and accessible in energy-poor communities.
- SOLbazaar, Bangladesh
The world’s first peer-to-peer energy exchange network in a country on the front-line of climate change.
All 15 Finalists will receive support from The Earthshot Prize Global Alliance Members, an unprecedented network of global businesses, who will help scale their solutions for even greater impact.
Of these 15 Finalists, the five Winners will be selected by The Earthshot Prize Council, a diverse team of influential individuals which includes: HRH Prince William, Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan, Sir David Attenborough, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Indra Nooyi, Shakira Mebarak, Christiana Figueres, Luisa Neubauer, Cate Blanchett, Yao Ming, Daniel Alves Da Silva, Ernest Gibson, Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim, Jack Ma, and Naoko Yamazaki.
In the run-up to the prize-giving ceremony on 17 October, BBC and Discovery will release a 5-part documentary series THE EARTHSHOT PRIZE: REPAIRING OUR PLANET, featuring Earthshot Prize Council Members including Prince William, Shakira Mebarak, Daniel Alves Da Silva and Sir David Attenborough.
For more information about the Finalists and The Earthshot Prize, visit: www.earthshotprize.org, email Claire Straw: TEPmedia@freuds.com, download media pack here.
To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210917005454/en/
Contact information
Claire Straw:
TEPmedia@freuds.com
About Business Wire
For more than 50 years, Business Wire has been the global leader in press release distribution and regulatory disclosure.
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
Boomi and Guru Partner to Deliver AI-Powered Enterprise Knowledge Enriched by Real-Time Data Activation14.5.2026 17:30:00 EEST | Press release
Boomi, the data activation company for AI, and Guru, the AI-powered enterprise knowledge platform, today announced a technology partnership to help organizations unlock the full value of their enterprise data for AI-driven decision-making. Unveiled at Boomi World 2026, the partnership makes Guru a launch partner for Boomi Connect, Boomi’s new managed connector service, and integrates Guru’s knowledge agents with Agentstudio and the Boomi MCP Registry to deliver richer, more accurate, and more actionable insights to knowledge workers and AI agents alike. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260514440755/en/ Guru was selected as a Boomi Connect launch partner because its AI-powered knowledge platform represents one of the highest-value consumption patterns for managed enterprise connectivity. Knowledge agents are only as effective as the data they can access, and Guru’s ability to synthesize insights across enterpris
IQM and Real Asset Acquisition Corp. Announce Public Filing of Form F-4 Registration Statement with the SEC14.5.2026 16:55:00 EEST | Press release
IQM Finland Oy, a global leader in full-stack superconducting quantum computers (“IQM”, “IQM Quantum Computers” or the “Company”), and Real Asset Acquisition Corp. (Nasdaq: RAAQ), a special purpose acquisition company (“RAAQ”), announced today the public filing of a registration statement on Form F-4 (the “Registration Statement”), which includes a preliminary proxy statement, with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) in connection with the proposed Business Combination Agreement announced February 23, 2026. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260514989293/en/ IQM Radiance quantum computer Jan Goetz, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder, IQM, said: “This filing is a milestone we have worked hard to reach, and it signals our readiness to operate at a new level. Public markets will give IQM the platform and capital to accelerate everything we are building as we work towards delivering fault-toleranc
MOBX to Acquire U.S. Defense Rare Earth, Critical Minerals Company14.5.2026 16:40:00 EEST | Press release
Mobix Labs (Nasdaq: MOBX) today announced a non-binding Letter of Intent to acquire Special Project Delivery LLC ("SPD"), a U.S. company building sovereign supply chains for rare earth elements, critical minerals, and energy storage. The proposed acquisition would extend Mobix Labs' national security work — already supplying U.S. and allied fighter jets, missiles, submarines, and satellites — directly into one of the world's most strategically important industrial sectors. MOBX is moving directly into the supply chain powering modern defense, aerospace, and AI infrastructure. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements regarding the proposed acquisition of Special Project Delivery LLC ("SPD"), which are subject to risks and uncertainties described in Mobix Labs' SEC filings and similar provisions under applicable non-U.S. securities laws. The Letter of Intent is non-binding, and there can be no assurance that a definitive agreement will be executed
Flick Raises $6M Seed Round to Redefine How AI Films Are Created14.5.2026 16:19:00 EEST | Press release
Flick (flick.art), an AI-native filmmaking platform founded by award-winning filmmaker Zoey Zhang and founding Instagram engineer Ray Wang, today announced it has raised $6 million in a seed round from True Ventures, GV (Google Ventures), Y Combinator, Lightspeed, Formosa Capital, Pioneer Fund, Olive Tree Capital, and N1 in addition to angel investors. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260514408256/en/ Flick was built around a simple belief: AI should enhance filmmaking, not replace it. Instead of another one-click video generator, Flick gives filmmakers cinematic control through an AI-native creative workflow designed for storytelling, iteration, and artistic direction. Flick will use the seed funding to accelerate product development, expand its core creative tooling for cinematic control, and grow the company’s community of filmmakers. The team is also launching Flick Filmmaker Residency,debuting with 10+ sho
PIF Named as Official Tournament Supporter of FIFA World Cup 2026™14.5.2026 16:08:00 EEST | Press release
PIF and FIFA has announced PIF as an Official Tournament Supporter in North America and Asia of the FIFA World Cup 2026™. The partnership reflects a shared commitment to expanding the growth of football at every level, from the grassroots to elite competition, as well as enabling greater participation in sport by unlocking new opportunities. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260514974404/en/ 14 May, 2026: Front row (L-R), Romy Gai, Chief Business Officer, FIFA and Kevin Foster, Managing Director and Head of Corporate Affairs, PIF, back row (L-R), H.R.H Prince Faisal Bin Bandar Bin Sultan Al Saud, Vice Chairman, Savvy Games Group, Gianni Infantino, President, FIFA, H.E. Yasir Othman Al-Rumayyan, Governor, PIF and Muhannad AlDawood, Chief Strategy Officer, Qiddiya Investment Company witnessed the signing of the partnership of PIF as Official Tournament Supporter of FIFA World Cup 2026™, incorporating PIF companies
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom