Prince William announces 15 Finalists for inaugural year of the £50 million Earthshot Prize
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
First Cessna SkyCourier Delivered into Mexico, Expanding Air Freight Capabilities for FlexCoah22.12.2025 19:13:00 EET | Press release
The first Cessna SkyCourier in Mexico was recently delivered to cargo transportation provider FlexCoah for use by the company’s aviation subsidiary, Altair. The aircraft — a freighter variant — will expand the company’s air freight capabilities throughout the country. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251222890759/en/ First Cessna SkyCourier delivered into Mexico, expanding air freight capabilities for FlexCoah (Photo Credit: Textron Aviation) The Cessna SkyCourier is designed and manufactured by Textron Aviation Inc., a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company. “The Cessna SkyCourier’s combination of reliability, payload capacity and mission flexibility makes it a powerful asset for operators looking to scale their operations while maintaining cost-efficiency,” said Lannie O’Bannion, senior vice president, Sales & Marketing. “The delivery of the Cessna SkyCourier to FlexCoah reflects the aircraft’s growing role in tran
Proudly Produced in Donegal: ProAmpac Invests in the Future of Food Board Manufacturing22.12.2025 18:34:00 EET | Press release
ProAmpac, a global leader in flexible packaging and material science, is strengthening its operational footprint with the expansion of Food Board manufacturing capabilities at its Donegal, Ireland campus. The addition of a new, purpose-built Food Board production area within the existing site reinforces ProAmpac’s commitment to innovation, efficiency, and customer service across the food packaging sector. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251222149380/en/ Carr & Sons Smoked Salmon - ProAmpac As an extension of the existing Donegal operations, which support the pet food, food-to-go, and CPG markets, the expanded production area increases capacity and precision. A state-of-the-art guillotine system delivers cleaner cuts and consistent board quality, ensuring every sheet meets ProAmpac’s performance standards. The expanded facility area introduces several key improvements for customers: Dedicated Customer Service T
Coherent Solutions closes strategic investment led by IceLake22.12.2025 17:07:00 EET | Press release
Coherent Solutions, a global digital engineering firm, has announced the closing of the strategic investment from IceLake, a leading private equity investor specializing in partnering with high-growth business services organizations. The transaction, previously announced in September 2025, has now received all necessary regulatory approvals. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251222791182/en/ Coherent Solutions and IceLake close strategic investment Coherent Solutions employs ~2,000 digital engineering, product, and design professionals across Europe and Latin America. The company builds and modernizes digital products and platforms for growing scale-ups and established global brands. “In a market saturated with AI claims, we’re seeing clients prioritize partners who can convert technology into measurable business outcomes,” said Igor Epshteyn, CEO of Coherent Solutions. “Staying grounded in digital value creatio
China Industry Leaders Convene in Jianshui to Chart the Blueberry Sector’s Growth Path22.12.2025 15:32:00 EET | Press release
The Third Yunnan Blueberry Conference and the release ceremony of the “Xinhua–Yunnan Honghe Blueberry Industry Development Index Report” opened on December 19 in Jianshui County, Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture, in southwest China’s Yunnan Province. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251222516223/en/ The opening ceremony of the conference on 19th Dec in Jianshui. The conference has attracted scholars, experts, business representatives, and purchasers from across China, who have gathered here to explore pathways for promoting the high-quality development of the blueberry industry. During the three-day conference, organizers convened two major signing ceremonies: a cooperation agreement to jointly establish the Yunnan Blueberry Research Institute, and a strategic agreement to enhance financial support for the full industrial chain of Honghe blueberries. Outstanding organizations and individuals contributin
Modon Holding Forms Joint Venture With Related Companies and Panepinto Properties to Deliver Harborside 4, a Luxury Residential Tower Along the Waterfront in the Heart of Downtown Jersey City22.12.2025 15:17:00 EET | Press release
Modon Holding PSC (“Modon”) today announced a new joint venture to deliver Harborside 4, a 54-story residential tower on one of the last prime waterfront sites in downtown Jersey City, New Jersey, USA. Modon will hold a majority equity stake alongside leading US developer Related Companies and long-established Jersey City firm Panepinto Properties (the “Joint Venture”), marking a further milestone in the Group’s strategy to scale its diversified global portfolio. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251222455854/en/ Harborside 4 render (Photo: AETOSWire) Harborside 4, designed by Handel Architects, will bring 800 luxury rental apartments and condominiums to downtown Jersey City, with the building offering unobstructed views of the Manhattan skyline and premium lifestyle and hospitality amenities including a marquee fitness club and concierge services. The site is minutes from Manhattan via PATH cross-Hudson rail se
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