First 15 Finalists of Prince William's Earthshot Prize Revealed

Prince William launched his global £50 million Earthshot Prize one year ago with the aim of finding 50 solutions across a decade to the world’s biggest environmental challenges. And today, the first 15 finalists have been announced, five of which will go on to win £1 million each at a ceremony in London in October.

“I am honoured to introduce the 15 innovators, leaders, and visionaries who are the first ever finalists for The Earthshot Prize,” the Duke of Cambridge said in a statement. “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.”

The shortlist includes a 14-year-old girl in India who has designed a solar-powered ironing cart, as well as water treatment plant in Japan that turns 98% of wastewater into clean water. The finalists are from 14 different countries and were selected by the Earthshot's advisory panel from 750 nominations. Despite the Prize being launched in the UK, none of the first 15 finalists are based there.

Inspired by President Kennedy’s Moonshot program, Earthshot aims to inspire optimism by finding innovative solutions to help repair the damage being caused by climate change. It will discover 50 winners over 10 years. The Prize is being accompanied by a book as well as a five-part documentary series which will feature William along with other Earthshot Prize Council Members including Shakira Mebarak, Daniel Alves and Sir David Attenborough. “This landmark series will highlight what we have to do to save our planet, tell the inspiring stories of people around the world already doing just that, and introduce us to the Finalists for this year's Earthshot Prize,” Kensington Palace said in a statement.

Yesterday Jason Knauf, who is CEO of the Royal Foundation, revealed that William’s motivation came from wanting to be able to look his “children in the eye” over how he used his position to fight climate change. “The challenge the Duke set himself was ‘What is the maximum positive personal contribution I can make in the next ten years in the fight against climate change? What am I going to do in the next decade that means I can look my children in the eye and say that I did my bit? Every aspect of the Prize bears the stamp of his contribution,” Knauf said.

The 15 Earthshot Prize Finalists for 2021 across five categories

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.

You Might Also Like

• 12 Weekend Getaway Spas For Every Type of Occasion

• What Your Favorite Champagne Brand Says About You

• Beauty Gurus Share Their Makeup Secrets for Older Women