It is easy to feel overwhelmed when we talk about the environment. You turn on the news, and you are met with images of raging wildfires, devastating floods, and heartbreaking stories of species on the brink of extinction. For a long time, the narrative around climate change and ecological collapse has been one of doom and guilt, leaving many of us feeling small, powerless, and frankly, exhausted. I have felt this way myself, standing in my kitchen and wondering if my recycling efforts were nothing more than a drop in a polluted ocean.
But what if we changed the story? What if, instead of only focusing on the problems, we dedicated immense resources, global attention, and relentless optimism to finding and scaling the solutions? This is precisely the audacious goal of The erthots Prize. It is not just another environmental award; it is a moonshot for the Earth, a decade-long mission to discover, celebrate, and accelerate the most groundbreaking ideas that can repair our planet within this critical decade.
I remember first hearing about it and being a little skeptical. “Another prize?” I thought. But as I dug deeper, I realized this was different. It was framed not as a final reward for a lifetime of work, but as a catalyst, a launching pad for the brilliant, brave, and often simple ideas that our world so desperately needs. In this article, I want to take you on a deep dive into the Earthshot Prize, to unpack its mission, meet its founders, explore its five core goals, and introduce you to the incredible people who are already making a tangible difference. My hope is that by the end, you will feel a sense of hope and possibility, the same feeling I got when I truly understood what this initiative is all about.
The Ambitious Mission: Repairing Our Planet Within a Decade
The name “erthots” is a direct and intentional echo of President John F. Kennedy’s famous “Moonshot” challenge in the 1960s. When Kennedy stood before the American people and declared the goal of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to Earth before the decade was out, the technology to do so did not even exist. It was a goal that seemed almost impossible, but its sheer ambition and clarity galvanized a nation. It unleashed a wave of innovation, collaboration, and human ingenuity that made the impossible, possible.
The Earthshot Prize applies this exact same philosophy to the greatest challenge of our time: healing our planet. Launched in 2020 by Prince William and The Royal Foundation, its mission is unequivocally bold: to discover and scale the most innovative solutions to help repair our planet within the next ten years. The decade-long timeline is crucial. Scientists have told us repeatedly that we have until 2030 to drastically change our course and avoid the most catastrophic impacts of climate change and environmental degradation. The Earthshot Prize is not a long-term, vague aspiration; it is a sprint, a global call to action that operates with the urgency the situation demands.
The premise is beautifully simple yet powerful. Every year, from 2021 to 2030, the prize will award one million pounds each to five winners, one for each of its five “Earthshots.” That is fifty million pounds in prize money over the decade, making it the most prestigious global environment prize in history. But, as I have learned from following the winners, the money, while vital, is only part of the story. The real prize is the global platform, the access to a network of influencers and businesses, and the tailor-made support provided to each winner to scale their solution rapidly. The goal is to create not just five winners a year, but a growing global alliance of the world’s brightest minds, all focused on the same five critical goals.
The Founders: A Prince’s Vision and a Naturalist’s Wisdom
Understanding the “who” behind the Earthshot Prize adds a profound layer of meaning to its mission. The driving force is His Royal Highness Prince William, The Duke of Cambridge. For years, he has spoken passionately about his love for the natural world, a passion he credits to his father, The Prince of Wales, and his grandfather, The Duke of Edinburgh. But more importantly, he has spoken about the sense of responsibility he feels for his children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis. He has often expressed that he does not want to be part of a generation that simply stood by and watched the destruction unfold, only for future generations to ask, “Why didn’t you do something?”
This personal, intergenerational concern is the bedrock of his commitment. He was not content with just making speeches; he wanted to create a mechanism for tangible change. He saw that while the problems were well-documented, the solutions often struggled to get the funding, visibility, and support they needed to move from a brilliant idea to a global reality. The Earthshot Prize was his answer.
Crucially, he did not do this alone. He enlisted the counsel and partnership of one of the most trusted and beloved voices on the planet: Sir David Attenborough. For decades, Sir David has been our guide, showing us the breathtaking beauty of the natural world and, in his later years, sounding the alarm about its rapid decline. His involvement lends the prize immense credibility and a direct link to the scientific and conservation communities. The partnership is a powerful combination: the global platform and influence of the future King of England and the unparalleled authority and wisdom of the world’s most famous naturalist. Together, they are using their unique positions to turn the spotlight away from the problem and onto the solutions.
The Five Earthshots Explained: A Blueprint for a Healthier Planet
The “erthots” are the heart of the entire initiative. They are five simple yet profound goals, agreed upon by a global alliance of experts, that if achieved by 2030, will vastly improve life for every person on Earth and for generations to come. They are interconnected; progress in one area fuels progress in another. Let us break down each one.
Protect and Restore Nature
Think about the air you breathe, the water you drink, and the food you eat. All of it ultimately depends on healthy, thriving natural ecosystems. From the vast rainforests that act as the planet’s lungs to the tiny microbes in the soil that help our food grow, nature is our most vital life-support system. Yet, we are clearing forests, degrading soils, and driving species to extinction at an alarming rate.
The goal of this Earthshot is to put the world on a path where we are no longer losing nature, but actively restoring it. This means protecting intact ecosystems like the Amazon and the Congo Basin, but it also means rewilding farmland, creating urban parks, and changing our agricultural practices to work with nature, not against it. It is about moving from exploitation to stewardship. A great personal example I have seen is the push to plant more native trees in urban areas. It is not just about carbon capture; it is about creating habitats for birds and insects, improving air quality, and even boosting our own mental wellbeing. This Earthshot recognizes that human health and planetary health are one and the same.
Clean Our Air
This is perhaps the most immediate environmental health crisis for billions of people. The World Health Organization estimates that almost the entire global population breathes air that exceeds its guideline limits for pollutants. This is not a distant problem; it is happening in the megacities and rural villages across the world, leading to millions of premature deaths from heart disease, stroke, and respiratory illnesses like asthma.
The goal here is unambiguous: for everyone in the world to breathe clean, healthy air, free from harmful pollution. Achieving this requires a multi-pronged attack. It means a decisive transition away from burning fossil fuels for energy and transport, which is the primary source of pollutants like nitrogen oxides and particulate matter. It also means addressing pollution from agriculture, industry, and even the burning of waste. The solutions range from the macro—massive investments in solar and wind energy and electric public transport—to the micro—developing affordable, clean-burning cookstoves for families in developing countries who currently rely on burning wood or dung indoors.
Revive Our Oceans
The ocean covers over seventy percent of our planet. It regulates our climate, provides a primary source of protein for billions, and is home to most of the life on Earth. Yet, we are treating it as a limitless resource and a bottomless dump. We are taking too many fish, destroying vital habitats like coral reefs and mangroves with pollution and trawling, and choking it with plastic.
The goal of this Earthshot is to bring our oceans back to life. This requires a global effort to end overfishing, to establish and enforce large marine protected areas where ecosystems can recover, and to drastically cut the flow of plastic and agricultural runoff into the water. It is also about changing our relationship with the ocean from one of extraction to one of coexistence. I was once on a beach cleanup, and the amount of microplastics we found mixed with the sand was a sobering reminder that there is no “away.” What we throw out inevitably finds its way into our water systems and, ultimately, our oceans. Reviving them is not just for the sake of the whales and the turtles; it is for the stability of our entire climate and our own food security.
Build a Waste-Free World
We live in a “take-make-dispose” society. We extract raw materials, use them to create products, often designed to be used just once, and then we throw them “away.” But there is no “away.” This linear economy is burying our planet in waste, polluting our land and oceans, and squandering precious resources.
This Earthshot envisions a circular economy, where waste is designed out of the system entirely. In a circular economy, products are built to last, to be repaired, and when they finally do reach the end of their life, their materials are recovered and used to make new products. It is about seeing waste not as trash, but as a resource in the wrong place. This means a fundamental redesign of everything from our packaging (moving to reusable and truly compostable materials) to our electronics (making them easier to disassemble and repair). On a personal level, it is about embracing the “reduce, reuse, recycle” mantra in that order. The most powerful thing we can do is to simply consume less and choose durable, repairable items when we do need to buy something.
Fix Our Climate
This is the overarching challenge that touches all the others. The buildup of greenhouse gases, primarily from burning fossil fuels, in our atmosphere is acting like a thick blanket around the Earth, trapping heat and destabilizing the climate systems we depend on for predictable weather, reliable growing seasons, and stable coastlines.
The goal of this Earthshot is to create a world where we have completely stopped adding to the problem (achieving net-zero carbon emissions) and are actively removing excess carbon from the atmosphere. This is the most complex and all-encompassing challenge. The solution is not one single technology, but a complete transformation of our energy, transport, industrial, and food systems. It requires a massive rollout of renewable energy, the development of new energy storage, a shift towards plant-rich diets, and the protection of the natural carbon sinks like forests and peatlands. It is a daunting task, but it is also the greatest economic opportunity of our lifetime, promising a future with cleaner air, more energy security, and sustainable jobs.
How It Works: From a Global Search to the Glittering Ceremony
The process of finding the Earthshot Prize winners is a massive, year-long undertaking designed to leave no stone unturned. It is not just about who has the best connections; it is a true global search.
It begins with an official “Nominator” network. This is a globally diverse group of over 300 organizations, from universities and research institutions to NGOs and private corporations. These nominators are the eyes and ears on the ground, tasked with scouring the world for the most inspiring and effective solutions. Anyone can also put forward a nomination through the official website, ensuring that a brilliant idea from a small village has just as much chance of being seen as one from a major research lab.
All these nominations are then rigorously assessed by a dedicated team of experts. They evaluate the solutions based on a set of criteria: their potential for impact, their ability to scale, and their feasibility. The shortlisted candidates then go before the prestigious Earthshot Prize Council, a diverse and influential body chaired by Prince William and including Christiana Figueres (architect of the Paris Agreement), Shakira, Cate Blanchett, and Sir David Attenborough, among others. This council makes the final decision on the five winners each year.
The culmination of this process is the annual Earthshot Prize Ceremony. This is not a stuffy, formal event. It is a global media spectacle, designed to capture the public’s imagination and broadcast a message of hope to the world. Held in different iconic cities each year—from London to Boston to Singapore—the ceremony features celebrity hosts, musical performances, and, most importantly, powerful films telling the stories of the finalists and winners. The goal is to make these environmental pioneers into household names, to inspire millions, and to show the world that a better future is not only possible, but it is already being built.
Meet the Changemakers: Stories of Hope and Ingenuity
The true soul of the Earthshot Prize lies in its winners. They are not massive corporations or famous celebrities; they are scientists, activists, communities, and entrepreneurs who have rolled up their sleeves and gotten to work. Let me share a few of their stories that I find particularly inspiring.
The Republic of Costa Rica: A Beacon for Protecting and Restoring Nature (2021 Winner)
Costa Rica did something extraordinary. Decades ago, it realized that its greatest asset was not its potential for logging or mining, but its breathtaking biodiversity. It made a conscious decision to reverse its rampant deforestation. Through a pioneering system of payments for ecosystem services, the government incentivized farmers and landowners to protect and restore forests. The result? Forest cover has doubled from a low of 20% to over 50% today. This has boosted ecotourism, which now powers the economy, and has made the country a global leader in renewable energy. Costa Rica’s story is a powerful proof-of-concept for the world. It shows that protecting nature is not an economic burden; it is a sound economic investment that pays for itself many times over.
Mukuru Clean Stoves: A Life-Saver for Cleaning Our Air (2022 Winner)
In the informal settlements of Nairobi, Kenya, many families are forced to cook indoors on open fires or primitive stoves burning wood, charcoal, or kerosene. The smoke from these stoves creates a toxic indoor environment, leading to respiratory illnesses that disproportionately affect women and children. Mukuru Clean Stoves, a women-led social enterprise, tackled this problem head-on. They developed a cleaner-burning stove that uses processed biomass made from charcoal, wood, and sugarcane, which produces 90% less pollution than an open fire. Not only does this save lives and improve health, but the stoves are also more efficient, saving families money on fuel, and they are manufactured and sold locally, creating jobs within the community. This is a perfect example of a solution that is simple, scalable, and addresses multiple problems at once—health, economic empowerment, and environmental pollution.
Notpla: A Revolutionary Idea for a Waste-Free World (2022 Winner)
The problem of single-use plastic packaging, especially for liquids, is a huge contributor to pollution. A UK-based startup called Notpla (a play on “Not Plastic”) asked a brilliantly simple question: What if the packaging was the food? They have developed a natural and biodegradable material made from seaweed and plants. Their most famous product is an edible, flexible sachet called an “Ooho” that can hold water, sauces, or even alcohol. You can either eat the sachet or throw it away, where it will decompose in a matter of weeks, just like a piece of fruit. They have also created a coating for cardboard takeaway boxes that makes them fully biodegradable, replacing the plastic lining that makes most cardboard unrecyclable. Notpla is not just recycling waste; it is designing the very concept of waste out of the system, using one of nature’s most renewable resources: seaweed.
Why the Earthshot Prize Gives Me Genuine Hope
In a media landscape saturated with bad news, it is easy to become cynical. I have certainly had my moments of despair. But following the Earthshot Prize has been a genuine antidote to that feeling for me. It has shifted my focus from an overwhelming global problem to a collection of solvable, human-scale challenges.
What gives me the most hope is the prize’s unwavering focus on optimism and action. It refuses to surrender to doomism. By celebrating the winners on a global stage, it sends a powerful message to the world, and especially to young people, that their ideas matter, that their passion is needed, and that they can be the architects of a better future. It proves that the solutions are not some futuristic fantasy; they exist here and now, in labs, in communities, and in the minds of people all over the world.
Furthermore, the prize understands that innovation needs more than just money; it needs a support system. The global network it provides is like a greenhouse for these fragile seedling ideas, giving them the light, nutrients, and protection they need to grow into strong, resilient trees that can provide shade for everyone. It is a practical and intelligent approach to philanthropy.
Ultimately, the Earthshot Prize has reinforced my belief that humanity’s incredible capacity for ingenuity is our greatest asset. We landed on the moon. We eradicated diseases. We connected the world with the internet. We have faced and overcome seemingly impossible challenges before. The Earthshot Prize is a bet on that same human spirit, channeling it towards the most important goal we have ever faced: ensuring that our one and only planet remains a vibrant, livable home for all its inhabitants, for generations to come. It is a bet I am proud to support, and a story I believe is worth telling.
Conclusion
The Earthshot Prize is far more than a prestigious award. It is a mindset. It is a global movement. It is a stubborn, hopeful, and audacious belief that we can and will repair our planet. By framing the environmental crisis through five clear, solvable “Earthshots,” it provides a tangible blueprint for action. By leveraging the influence of its founders and the power of its platform, it amplifies the work of the world’s most brilliant problem-solvers. And by telling their stories with hope and celebration, it inspires all of us to believe that we, too, have a role to play. The journey to 2030 will be challenging, but for the first time in a long time, initiatives like the Earthshot Prize make me feel like we are not just staring at the mountain we have to climb, but that we are already taking the first, decisive steps upwards, together.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
1. Who can nominate someone for the Earthshot Prize?
Anyone can submit a nomination through the official Earthshot Prize website during the open nomination period. Additionally, a global network of over 300 Official Nominating Organizations actively scouts for potential candidates year-round.
2. What do the winners do with the £1 million prize money?
The prize money is intended to be used to scale their environmental solution. Winners are not restricted in how they use the funds, but the entire process is designed to support the growth and impact of their project. Many invest it in research and development, manufacturing, expanding their team, or deploying their technology in new regions.
3. Is the Earthshot Prize only for tech startups or scientists?
Absolutely not. The prize is open to a wide range of individuals, teams, communities, businesses, and even governments. Past finalists have included cities, countries, grassroots community groups, and social enterprises. The key criteria are the potential for impact, scalability, and feasibility, not the type of organization.
4. How is the Earthshot Prize funded?
The Earthshot Prize is funded by The Earthshot Prize Global Alliance, a network of leading philanthropic organizations and private sector businesses. Founding partners include The Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, The Jack Ma Foundation, and several other global foundations and corporations who are committed to the mission.
5. What happens after 2030?
The prize is designed as a decade-long mission concluding in 2030. The goal is that by then, the momentum, the network, and the proven solutions will have created an irreversible shift towards the five Earthshots. The legacy will be a healthier planet and a global ecosystem of innovation and optimism that will continue to drive progress long after the final awards are given.
