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
Mundipharma Announces Further Phase III ReSPECT Results Presented as a Late-Breaking Oral Presentation at IDWeek 202622.10.2026 20:03:00 EEST | Press release
Today Mundipharma announced additional results from the global Phase III ReSPECT clinical trial evaluating REZZAYO®(rezafungin acetate) for prophylaxis of invasive fungal diseases (IFDs) in adult patients undergoing allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT). The Phase III findings were presented today as a late-breaking oral presentation at IDWeek 2026. The presentation provides additional detail following the top line ReSPECT results announced in April 2026, including further endpoint analyses, the components contributing to fungal-free survival (FFS), pre-specified sensitivity analyses and detailed safety outcomes. The additional analyses were consistent with the previously announced topline findings. ReSPECT was a global, multicentre, randomised, double-blind Phase III study in which 402 patients were randomised to rezafungin and 200 to the standard antimicrobial regimen. As previously announced, the study met its primary endpoint, demonstrating non-inferiority
Tigo Energy Improves Installer Choice via Fronius Compatibility with TS4 Product Line22.10.2026 19:02:00 EEST | Press release
Tigo Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ: TYGO) (“Tigo” or “Company”), a leading provider of intelligent solar and energy software solutions, today announced a manufacturer declaration of compatibility from Fronius International GmbH, documenting compatibility between Tigo Flex MLPE products and multiple Fronius inverter families. The letter covers Tigo TS4-A-F, TS4-A-2F, TS4-A-O, and TS4-X-O products and the Fronius Primo GEN24, Primo GEN24 208-240, Symo GEN24, Verto, Tauro, and Tauro ECO inverter families, when configured according to the requirements specified by Fronius and Tigo. Building on established compatibility in Europe, the declaration extends manufacturer-confirmed compatibility to markets worldwide, including the United States and Canada, giving solar professionals greater flexibility to design high-quality systems using manufacturer-confirmed technology combinations. Fronius develops solar technologies and solutions for residential, commercial, and large-scale applications, with a port
Saudi Maritime & Logistics Congress Highlights Maritime Sector Integration and Opportunities for Trade and Investment Growth in the Kingdom22.10.2026 17:52:00 EEST | Press release
The Saudi Maritime & Logistics Congress highlighted Saudi Arabia’s role in supporting the continuity of trade flows and strengthening supply chain resilience as it opened at Jeddah Superdome, bringing together representatives of government entities, maritime transport and logistics leaders, and the business community. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261022362613/en/ The Congress takes place as rapid changes in trade and shipping prompt companies to reassess transport routes and operational and investment choices. It provides a platform for dialogue among stakeholders to explore opportunities for cooperation and strengthen integration between ports and maritime, land transport and logistics services, supporting operational efficiency and supply chain reliability. In his opening address, His Excellency Eng. Fawaz Alsahli, President of the Transport General Authority in Saudi Arabia, emphasised that the Kingdom’s
Ministerial Roundtable Discusses Mobilising Green Investments for a Resilient and Inclusive Global Economy22.10.2026 17:49:00 EEST | Press release
HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, Chairman of the World Green Economy Organization, opened the Ministerial Roundtable titled "From Ambition to Bankable Action-Mobilising Green Investments for a Resilient and Inclusive Global Economy," during the 12th World Green Economy Summit (WGES), held on 21-22 October 2026 at the Dubai World Trade Centre under the theme "From Success to Scale: Showcasing the Green Economy." This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261022803264/en/ Ministerial Roundtable Discusses Mobilising Green Investments for a Resilient and Inclusive Global Economy (Photo: AETOSWire) The session was attended by HE Dr. Amna bint Abdullah Al Dahak, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, the United Arab Emirates; HE Aliou Gori Diouf, Minister of Environment and Ecological Transition, Senegal; HE Balarabe Abbas Lawal, Minister of Environment, Nigeria; HE Steven Victor, Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, and the En
Andersen Consulting Adds Collaborating Firm TechSparq22.10.2026 16:30:00 EEST | Press release
Andersen Consulting broadens its technology and business transformation capabilities through a Collaboration Agreement with TechSparq, a U.S.-based firm that combines strategy, commerce engineering, and AI with hands-on implementation. TechSparq is a digital consulting firm providing strategy and advisory, commerce engineering, and AI and agentic commerce services to organizations across retail and consumer goods, luxury and fashion, and eCommerce and direct-to-consumer markets. Headquartered in Oregon, the firm combines strategic planning with hands-on delivery to help clients advance digital initiatives, customer experience, and operating models. “We built our firm to close the gap between the people who develop the strategy and the people responsible for making it work,” said Dedrick Boyd, founder and CEO of TechSparq. “Our collaboration with Andersen Consulting gives us an opportunity to bring that execution-focused model to a broader range of organizations while combining our appr
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