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
Sagepath Reply Recognized in the 2026 Gartner® Market Guide for Strategic Website Agencies21.7.2026 11:00:00 EEST | Press release
Sagepath Reply, a digital experience agency part of the Reply Group, has been included in the 2026 Gartner Market Guide for Strategic Website Agencies. This marks the third time Sagepath Reply has been named in the Market Guide, following its previous inclusions in 2023 and 2025. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260721481392/en/ Sagepath Reply, a digital experience agency part of the Reply Group, has been included in the 2026 Gartner Market Guide for Strategic Website Agencies. Gartner, a company delivering actionable, objective insight to executives and their teams, defines strategic website agencies as “service providers dedicated to developing website strategies that deliver relevant digital experiences to external audiences. These agencies bundle their strategic marketing services with an array of complementary offerings to support their clients’ needs around website design, development, search value and co
ClickHouse Announced as Principal Partner & Front of Shirt Sponsor of Fulham Football Club21.7.2026 11:00:00 EEST | Press release
Fulham Football Club is proud to announce ClickHouse, a global technology company specialising in real-time analytics, data infrastructure and AI applications, as its newest Principal Partner and Front of Shirt Sponsor of the Men’s First Team. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260721902779/en/ ClickHouse announced as Principal Partner and Front of Shirt Sponsor of Fulham Football Club This multi-year partnership will see ClickHouse take pride of place on the front of the Men’s First Team home, away and third kits. ClickHouse will also feature across Craven Cottage, the Club’s digital channels, matchday assets and a range of supporter-facing experiences throughout the partnership. The Fulham FC home kit will be released on Thursday 23rd July 2026, keep an eye on the Club’s Instagram for updates. Our collaboration reflects Fulham’s continued focus on innovation, performance and delivering engaging experiences for
European Commission Approves Crysvita ® (burosumab) for Infants with X-linked Hypophosphataemia in the European Union21.7.2026 10:00:00 EEST | Press release
Kyowa Kirin EMEA, a wholly owned subsidiary of Kyowa Kirin Co., Ltd. (TSE:4151), today announced that the European Commission (EC) has approved an expansion of the indication for Crysvita® (burosumab) for the treatment of X-linked hypophosphataemia (XLH), to include infants from 1 month to 1 year of age across the European Union and European Economic Area. The approval represents an important step forward for infants living with XLH, a rare, progressive genetic disease that can affect skeletal development from an early age. Earlier diagnosis and treatment are considered important in XLH given the potential impact of the disease on skeletal development during infancy and childhood. XLH is a rare, progressive, lifelong genetic disease characterised by phosphate wasting that can impair bone mineralisation from an early age, leading to skeletal deformities, impaired growth and other serious complications. Clinical manifestations of XLH can emerge during infancy and early childhood, with pr
CapVest Completes Acquisition of TSG21.7.2026 10:00:00 EEST | Press release
CapVest Partners LLP (“CapVest”), a leading New York and London based investment firm, today announces that it has completed its acquisition of a majority stake in TSG Solutions (“TSG”), a European leader in technical services for critical energy infrastructure, following receipt of all necessary approvals. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260721628079/en/ TSG Headquartered in Paris, France, TSG operates across 30 countries with over 7,000 employees and annual revenues of more than €1.4 billion. The company designs, builds and maintains critical energy infrastructure across Power (HV, MV & LV electrical), Charge, Solar, Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS), Biofuels and Gas & Biogas. TSG’s multi-energy capabilities, deep technical expertise and extensive geographical coverage underpin longstanding relationships with a diverse base of leading energy infrastructure operators, and position the company to capture
Ant International Raises approx. US$1.2 billion in Series A Equity Financing to Boost Cross-border Payments, Agentic Commerce Solutions for Global Businesses21.7.2026 06:00:00 EEST | Press release
Ant International, a leading global digital payment, digitisation and financial technology provider, today announced the successful closing of its Series A equity financing of approximately US$1.2 billion. Existing investors including Ant Group and Alibaba Group participated in this round, as well as other renowned international investment institutions. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260720424592/en/ Ant International today announced the successful closing of its Series A equity financing of approximately US$1.2 billion. The proceeds will be used to accelerate Ant International’s global expansion and innovation in merchant payment, account management and other inclusive financial services for SMEs and enterprises across the world. Ant International began independent operation in 2024. With main operations across Asia, Europe, the Middle East and Latin America, the company has built an expansive partnership ne
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