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
The World Goes Green for St Patrick’s Day 202617.3.2026 18:50:00 EET | Press release
This March, St Patrick’s Day invites people all over the world to become Irish for a day, as cities and communities across the globe unite in a shared celebration of heritage, culture and connection. From parades and parties to the famous global greenings, the festival’s spirit reaches far beyond Ireland’s shores. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260306890851/en/ St Patrick's Festival Kilkenny City 2022 The World Goes Green Ireland’s national holiday, St Patrick’s Day unites a global community in a vivid moment of celebration. Each year, hundreds of iconic landmarks are illuminated in green, from the Empire State Building in New York and the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy to Niagara Falls in Canada and the Wallace Monument in Scotland. These striking displays reflect the far-reaching connections of Irish communities overseas and the worldwide affection for Ireland’s largest national holiday. This global celebra
USD 1.63 Billion In 72 Hours: Manchester City Yas Residences by Ohana Development Sets New Sales Record In Abu Dhabi17.3.2026 17:44:00 EET | Press release
Ohana Development, a leading UAE real estate developer renowned for its luxury projects, has recorded USD 1.63 billion in sales within 72 hours for Manchester City Yas Residences by Ohana, a gated waterfront community located along Yas Canal in Abu Dhabi, setting a new sales record in the emirate’s real estate market. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260317595867/en/ Manchester City Yas Residences by Ohana (Photo: AETOSWire) Investors queued at the sales launch, reflecting the strong demand for the project. Of the investors, 35% are Emiratis, while 65% are expatriates and international buyers. In response to this significant interest, Ohana Development is expected to release additional inventory from the project soon. In his comments, Husein Salem, CEO of Ohana Development, said: "We would like to express our sincere appreciation to the UAE government and its visionary leadership for fostering a stable and forw
Speech Processing Solutions Launches Philips SpeechLive Health, an AI Assistant Built for Modern Clinical Documentation17.3.2026 16:00:00 EET | Press release
Speech Processing Solutions, the global leader in professional dictation and speech solutions sold under the Philips brand, today announced the upcoming April 2026 launch of Philips SpeechLive Health AI Assistant, an AI-powered clinical documentation assistant designed for healthcare professionals across multiple care settings. This solution reduces administrative burden, streamlines documentation, and improves provider and patient experiences. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260317743584/en/ Philips SpeechLive Health AI Assistant turns clinical conversations into structured documentation, helping reduce administrative workload and create more time for patient care. Purpose-built for clinical documentation workflows Clinical workload remains a major challenge across healthcare. In the U.S., AMIA’s 2024 TrendBurden survey found that 77% of healthcare professionals said documentation makes them work late or at h
Coherent Solutions Releases Research on AI-driven Fraud Prevention in Banking and Finance and the Best AI Models for Banks17.3.2026 16:00:00 EET | Press release
Coherent Solutions has released a Future of Finance research illustrating how AI is advancing fraud detection in financial services. The research offers financial institutions a strategic framework to address rising and more sophisticated fraud techniques with adaptive, human-in-the-loop AI systems, based on the firm’s extensive experience in AI engineering. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260317526196/en/ Coherent Solutions releases research on AI-driven fraud prevention. This white paper addresses the modern threat of transaction fraud, which is becoming faster and smarter while conventional rule-based systems lag, leaving financial institutions exposed. Banks, credit lenders, and financial institutions that adopt AI and machine learning can reduce fraud losses by up to 50% and detect anomalies in real time. When implemented with proper governance and human oversight, AI systems also make audits smoother and
The Swoosh Meets the ‘b’: Beats and Nike Unveil Historic First-Ever Collaboration for Powerbeats Pro 217.3.2026 16:00:00 EET | Press release
Today, Beats and Nike announced the first hardware collaboration in their shared history: Powerbeats Pro 2 – Nike Special Edition. In a landmark design shift, Beats has—for the first time—shared its iconic earbud real estate with a partner, featuring the Nike Swoosh on the right bud and the signature Beats “b” on the left. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260317159868/en/ Powerbeats Pro 2 - Nike Special Edition The limited-edition release marries Nike’s high-energy “Volt” color palette with the industry-leading audio tech of the Powerbeats Pro 2. The result is a performance tool built to bridge the gap between elite sport and street style. The Nike Special Edition arrives in a striking matte black, Volt-speckled charging case. Upon opening, users are greeted by Nike’s “JUST DO IT” mantra printed inside the lid. While the aesthetic is new, the internals are pure power: Pro-Level Sound: Adaptive Active Noise Canc
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