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
FuriosaAI Secures $620 Million Series D to Meet Surging Enterprise AI Inference Demand and Accelerate Next-Gen Silicon29.10.2026 01:57:00 EET | Press release
FuriosaAI, an AI semiconductor company building sustainable, high-performance inference compute for data centers, today announced the completion of its $620 million (KRW 820 billion) Series D round, bringing its post-money valuation to approximately $2.9 billion. The financing marks a major milestone as FuriosaAI scales global commercial deployments of its RNGD AI inference accelerator. FuriosaAI will use the new capital to expand RNGD production, strengthen its software ecosystem, and accelerate development of its third-generation AI accelerator. International investors contributed a total of $110 million to the round, bringing deep expertise across AI semiconductors and computing infrastructure. U.S.-based Infinitum, an investment firm with extensive experience in the AI semiconductor sector, was the largest international investor in the round. Singapore-based QUDA Capital Partners also joined the round. Its Founder and Managing Partner, Charlie Foo, previously held senior leadership
IFF Declares Dividend for Fourth Quarter 202628.10.2026 22:15:00 EET | Press release
IFF (NYSE: IFF) announced that its Board of Directors has declared a regular quarterly cash dividend of $0.40 per share of its common stock, payable on January 13, 2027 to shareholders of record as of December 19, 2026. Welcome to IFF At IFF (NYSE: IFF), we make joy through science, creativity and heart. As the global leader in flavors, fragrances, and health and biosciences, we deliver groundbreaking, sustainable innovations that elevate everyday products—advancing wellness, delighting the senses and enhancing the human experience.Learn more at iff.com, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook. © 2026 by International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. IFF is a Registered Trademark. All Rights Reserved. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261028159928/en/
Transition Industries Signs Definitive EPC Agreement with Siemens Energy and Techint E&C for Pacifico Mexinol’s 210 MW Electrolyzer Facility28.10.2026 20:36:00 EET | Press release
Transition Industries LLC today announced that it has signed a definitive Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) agreement with Siemens Energy and Techint Engineering & Construction (“Techint E&C”) for the approximately 210 MW electrolyzer facility at its Pacifico Mexinol project in Sinaloa, Mexico. The agreement is subject to customary conditions precedent, including the completion of project financing. The signing builds on the Front-End Engineering Design (FEED) contract announced in August 2025 and represents an important milestone in advancing the project’s renewable hydrogen production infrastructure from engineering toward construction. The facility will incorporate Siemens Energy’s Elyzer P-300 electrolyzer technology and produce renewable hydrogen to support the production of renewable fuels of non-biological origin (RFNBO) within Pacifico Mexinol’s planned 6,130-metric-ton-per-day ultra-low-carbon methanol complex. The technology plays a crucial role in achieving the
Belkin Introduces Infinity Folio for iPad mini, Available Now28.10.2026 20:21:00 EET | Press release
Belkin, a global leader in consumer electronics accessories trusted by more than 1 billion customers worldwide, today introduced Infinity Folio, a beautifully crafted protective case exclusively designed for iPad mini. The Infinity Folio is engineered to protect without compromise. A thin, lightweight and translucent back lets the new iPad mini design shine through with 360° of protection against drops of up to 2 meters*. The ingeniously engineered detachable cover transforms into a stand with multiple viewing angles. Whether it's streaming a favorite show, joining a video call, or reading an exciting book, Infinity Folio adapts to every moment. Designed specifically for iPad mini, Infinity Folio is available at launch through Apple stores and online in select markets worldwide, with additional retail availability by the end of the year. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261028098950/en/ Belkin announces Infinit
DEWA Signs Three Agreements With Global Partners During WETEX 202628.10.2026 16:50:00 EET | Press release
Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) signed three agreements with leading global entities during the 28th Water, Energy, Technology and Environment Exhibition (WETEX 2026). This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261028187355/en/ DEWA signs three agreements with global partners during WETEX 2026 (Photo: AETOSWire) In the presence of HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD&CEO of DEWA, the agreements were signed by Hussain Lootah, Executive Vice President of Transmission Power at DEWA, and concluded through Moro Hub, a subsidiary of Digital DEWA, the digital arm of DEWA. Al Tayer said: “We are committed to strengthening our strategic partnerships with leading global organisations and leveraging the latest technologies, solutions and best practices. This enables us to enhance the efficiency, resilience and future-readiness of our critical infrastructure, while keeping pace with advancements in cyber security, digital tra
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