Prince William launches £50m 'Earthshot Prize'

A total of £50m will be awarded to the winners of a new global prize over the decade to help find solutions to the world's gravest environmental problems.

Launching the 'Earthshot Prize' today, Prince William said that the Earth is “at a tipping point“, and that the next 10 years will be critical in avoiding irreparable damage to the planet.

Five winners will each receive £1m every year from 2021 until 2030 for developing innovative solutions that: protect and restore nature, clean our air, revive our oceans, build a waste-free world and fix our climate.

It is the biggest environmental prize ever, and takes inspiration from president John F. Kennedy's Moonshot, which united millions of people around the goal to put man on the moon in the 1960s.

“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,“ Prince William said.

“People can achieve great things. The next 10 years present us with one of our greatest tests – a decade of action to repair the Earth.“

Each of the five 'Earthshot' goals are underpinned by scientifically-agreed targets, including the UN Sustainable Development Goals and other internationally-recognised measures to help repair the planet.

Nominations for the prize will open on 1 November, with over 100 nominating partners from across the world invited to nominate individuals, communities, businesses and organisations.

An awards ceremony will take place in different cities across the world each year between 2021 and 2030, at which five winners will be selected from 15 finalists. The first awards ceremony will take place in London in autumn 2021.

Image credit: Shutterstock