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The Earthshot Prize was launched in 2020, and the first winners of the prize were announced this year! The idea is: simple but ambitious ideas goals for our planet which, if achieved by 2030, will significantly improve our lives on planet earth.
“The Earth is at a tipping point and we face a stark choice: either we continue as we are and irreparably damage our planet, or we remember our unique power as human beings and our continual ability to lead, innovate and problem-solve. People can achieve great things. The next ten years present us with one of our greatest tests – a decade of action to repair the Earth.”
Prince William
Every year, five winners are nominated and receive a one million-pound prize which means that over the next ten years, 50 solutions will receive an award! The prize will help these innovators take action and work with funders, businesses, and individuals to develop their solutions. The Earthshot Prize is supported by its Global Alliance which is a network of worldwide organisations that share the values of the Earthshot Prize and the ambition to create change and help repair the planet. Partners are non-profit and international organisations who work toward fighting climate change. They bring expertise to the prize and will serve as nominating organisations.
The innovations that answer the world’s biggest environmental issues in these categories can apply:
- Protect and restore nature
- Clean our air
- Revive our oceans
- Build a waste-free world
- Fix our climate
Each of these Earthshots is unique and the goals represent a new idea that incorporates tech, systems, policies or solutions. At the same time, Earthshot believes that these categories need to be tackled together to make a difference.
Each Earthshot is supported by scientific targets such as the UN Sustainable Development Goals and other internationally recognised measures.
The Earthshot winners are nominated by the council. First, nominators of the foundation look for innovative solutions around the world. Then, a panel of experts makes recommendations to the council and supervises the judging process. Finally, the council chooses five winners for each Earthshot, which are announced at a ceremony (this year it was in London) by the Duke of Cambridge. This year, the winners also attended COP26 in Glasgow with the Duke & Duchess of Cambridge to highlight the importance of environmental innovation and collective action.
The amazing innovations that WON this year’s Earthshot prize are:
- Protect and Restore Nature: Republic of Costa Rica – A pioneering scheme paying local citizens to restore natural ecosystems that has led to an incredible revival of the rainforest.
- Fix our Climate: AEM Electrolyser – An ingenious green hydrogen technology developed to transform how we power our homes and buildings.
- Revive our Oceans: Coral Vita – An innovative approach to coral farming that can help restore our world’s dying coral reefs faster than any traditional method.
- Build a Waste-Free World: City of Milan – A city-wide initiative that has dramatically cut waste while tackling hunger.
- Clean our Air: Takachar – A cutting-edge technology to create fuel from agricultural waste and put a stop to the global air problem of crop burning.