What Is The Earthshot Prize? (& All The 2025 Winners)
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These innovators are fighting for our planet – with a royal seal of approval
A star-studded green carpet welcomed some of the world’s wisest eco-innovators to the Earthshot Prize 2025 awards ceremony over night, with five winners revealed in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where the Prince of Wales has been staying since 3 November, having flown in on a commercial flight. ‘It’s been heartening to see how the people of Brazil have passionately embraced the challenges we all face to protect our natural world,’ the Prince said at the ceremony last night.
Hosted by Luciano Huck, the ceremony was held in Rio’s futuristic Museum of Tomorrow and was attended by Olympian Rebeca Andrade, former New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern, F1 driver Sebastian Vettel (who also presented a prize) and plenty more, along with British politicians Ed Miliband, London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan and UK PM Keir Starmer – all of whom were asked to don previously worn outfits or those made from recycled materials. Kylie Minogue, Shawn Mendes, Anitta, Gilberto Gil and Seu Jorge were the night’s musical performers – but the real stars of the show were the winners, selected from this year’s 15 Earthshot finalists. Here’s a recap of what you missed.
The Earthshot Report, 2024 (© Andrew Parsons/Kensington Palace)
What Is The Earthshot Prize?
First awarded in 2021, The Earthshot Prize is an environmental award that celebrates and bolsters the work of environmental innovators across the globe. Launched by Prince William and David Attenborough in 2020, the prize was initially inspired by former US president John F Kennedy’s Moonshot Project, which set scientists the challenge of safely transporting astronauts to the moon and back. But of course the attention isn’t outwards but inwards (hence the turn towards ‘Earthshot’), challenging this generation’s brightest minds to come up with groundbreaking solutions to fix our planet.
Of course, Prince William isn’t the only Royal with eco interests: he’s following closely in the footsteps of his father, King Charles III, who is currently working on a Prime Video documentary detailing his ‘harmony’ ethos, the idea that we should all see ourselves as part of nature, not apart from it.
Now in its fifth year, Rio 2025 marks the halfway point in Prince William’s original plans. ‘When I founded The Earthshot Prize in 2020, we had a 10 year goal: to make this the decade in which we transformed our world for the better,’ Prince William explained in a closing speech at last night’s ceremony. ‘We set out to tackle environmental issues head on and make real, lasting changes that would protect life on Earth. It was a mission driven by the kind of extraordinary optimism we felt here tonight from these innovators. Their work is the proof we need that progress is possible. Their stories are the inspiration that gives us courage, and there’s a great deal we can learn from their determination and their vision for scale, as well as their unyielding belief that we can create a better world. It’s no exaggeration to say that they are the world’s true action heroes.’
Winners of the Earthshot Prize receive a whopping £1 million in funding, helping to accelerate and scale their game-changing environmental solutions. Each year there are five winners across categories inspired by the UN Sustainable Development Goals. They cover: the climate, our oceans, our air, the protection and restoration of nature, and waste reduction.
Almost 2,500 entries were submitted to the 2025 prize, spanning 72 countries. The 15 finalists (and eventually the five winners) were selected by founder of The Earthshot Prize, Prince William, along with his Council, which is chaired by Dame Christiana Figueres. The Earthshot Prize Council for 2025 included: His Royal Highness Prince William, Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah, José Andrés, Sir David Attenborough, Cate Blanchett, Ernest Gibson, Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim, Wanjira Mathai, Nemonte Nenquimo, Luisa Neubauer, Indra Nooyi, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Naoko Yamazaki and Gisele Bündchen.
So who went home with the top prizes? Drumroll please…
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The Earthshot Prize 2025 Winners
Fix Our Climate: Friendship, Bangladesh
According to Earthshot, ‘Friendship protects vulnerable communities in Bangladesh, combining vital services like healthcare and education with climate resilience projects that save lives, restore ecosystems, and create opportunity.’
Finalists: Barbados & Form Energy (USA)
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Protect & Restore Nature: re.green, Brazil
Bagging the prize on home turf, Earthshot was impressed by how this Brazilian organisation ‘uses AI and satellite data to make reforestation profitable, restoring the Amazon and Atlantic Forests at scale while protecting vital biodiversity, and supporting local communities’.
Finalists: Tenure Facility (Sweden) & Tropical Forest Forever Facility (Brazil)
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Revive Our Oceans: The High Seas Treaty, The Netherlands
Thanks to ‘decades of cooperation,’ Earthshot says, ‘the High Seas Treaty closes the gap in ocean conservation, protecting biodiversity in international waters and helping hit the global 30×30 goal’.
Finalists: Matter (UK) & Bonds for Ocean Conservation (USA)
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Clean Our Air: City of Bogotá, Colombia
‘The City of Bogotá has implemented bold clean air policies to cut air pollution by 24 percent since 2018, redesigning how 8 million people move and live, and building a healthier, greener city,’ Earthshot says.
Finalists: The State of Gujarat (India) & City of Guangzhou (China)
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Build A Waste-Free World: Lagos Fashion Week
Undoubtedly one of Earthshot’s most stylish winners this year is Lagos Fashion Week, which is commended for ‘transforming one of the world’s most wasteful industries by creating a new fashion economy: one rooted in purpose, sustainability and cultural integrity,’ Earthshot says.
Finalists: ATRenew (China) & Quay Quarter Tower (Australia)
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Learn more about all of the winners and finalists at earthshotprize.org
Previous Winners
2024
- Protect & Restore Nature: Altyn Dala Conservation Initiative, Kazakhstan
- Clean Our Air: Green Africa Youth Organization (GAYO), Ghana
- Revive Our Oceans: High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People, Costa Rica, France & UK
- Build a Waste-free World: Keep IT Cool, Kenya
- Fix Our Climate: Advanced Thermovoltaic Systems (ATS), USA
2023
- Protect & Restore Nature: Acción Andina, The Andes Mountains
- Clean Our Air: GRST, Hong Kong
- Revive Our Oceans: WildAid Marine Program, Global
- Build a Waste-free World: S4S Technologies, India
- Fix Our Climate: Boomitra, Global
2022
- Protect & Restore Nature: Kheyti, India
- Clean Our Air: Mukuru Clean Stoves, Kenya
- Revive Our Oceans: Indigenous Women of the Great Barrier Reef, Australia
- Build a Waste-free World: Notpla, UK
- Fix Our Climate: 44.01, Oman
2021
- Protect & Restore Nature: The Republic of Costa Rica, Costa Rica
- Clean Our Air: Takachar, India
- Revive Our Oceans: Coral Vita, Bahamas
- Build a Waste-free World: The City of Milan Food Waste Hubs, Italy
- Fix Our Climate: AEM Electrolyser (Enapter), Thailand/Germany/Italy
