Alice Manning
On 17 October, the winners of the inaugural Earthshot Prize were announced in a ceremony held at Alexandra Palace in London.
Five winners were each awarded a sum of £1 million to fund the scaling up of their environmental projects, which were described by Earthshot as “ingenious”.
Currently run by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s Royal Foundation, the Earthshot Prize rewards and funds innovative solutions to “today’s biggest challenges” facing the environment.
Inspired by the “Moonshot” ambition of American President John F. Kennedy to send humans to the moon, the Earthshot Prize is a new initiative that aims to encourage environmental solutions that “improve life for us all”. The prizes concentrate on five different “Earthshot Goals”: Protect & Restore Nature, Clean Our Air, Revive Our Oceans, Build A Waste-Free World and Fix Our Climate.
The Winners
- Republic of Costa Rica (Protect & Restore Nature). The Central American nation won for its efforts to reverse the “devastation” of their forests in the 1990s by “pa[ying] citizens to protect forests, plant trees, and restore ecosystems.” The prize money will assist the government of Costa Rica to “tak[e] th[is] approach to urban areas.”
- Takachar, India (Clean Our Air). Takachar is a social enterprise that uses “a cheap, small-scale, portable technology” to convert crop residues into usable bioproducts. Preventing the burning of waste agricultural product and improving air quality as a result. The £1 million funding from Earthshot could see Takachar’s technology “cut a billion tonnes of carbon dioxide a year” when put to scale.
- Coral Vita, Bahamas (Revive Our Oceans). This initiative attempts to prevent the destruction of ocean reefs through a combination of ecological restoration and education. Coral Vita grows coral on land to replant in the oceans, a method “up to 50 times faster than traditional methods”, while their efforts in the community “[give] new life not just to the ocean but to coastal economies as well.”
- The City of Milan Food Waste Hubs, Italy (Build A Waste-Free World). In order to combat food waste and food poverty simultaneously, this city-wide scheme sees spare food from major institutions such as charities and universities linked to Food Waste Hubs, from where it is redistributed to those who need it. It is the first scheme of its kind in any major city, and Earthshot say that “Milan has created a blueprint that can be scaled around the world”.
- AEM Electrolyser, Thailand/Germany/Italy (Fix Our Climate). In order to increase the usage of renewable energy, Enapter’s AEM Electrolyser “turns renewable electricity into emission-free hydrogen gas”, providing an alternative energy source for vehicles and homes. Earthshot funding will assist Enapter to fund mass production, and contribute towards their goal “to account for 10% of the world’s hydrogen generation” by 2050.
The Ceremony
Hosted by TV and radio presenters Dermot O’Leary and Clara Amfo, the ceremony echoed the glamour of well-established awards ceremonies in the arts industry – with guests having the opportunity to socialize on an appropriately-coloured green carpet, rather than the traditional red.
In keeping with the ethos of the Prize, guests did not fly in to London while prizewinners were included in the ceremony virtually.
Coldplay and Ed Sheeran were among the acts who performed at the ceremony, with the former having recently announced their latest world tour which is set to have an “eco-friendly focus”.
A Hopeful Future
The Earthshot Prize is judged by a Council of individuals from different industries and nations, including the Duke of Cambridge, David Attenborough and Cate Blanchett. Commenting on the entrants, Earthshot council member Christiana Figueres described being “moved by the[ir] determination”.
Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan was one of the guests attending the ceremony. He tweeted his support, congratulating the Earthshot finalists for their “inspiring work”.
Entries for the next round of prizes will be open from January 2022, with future prizes to be awarded until 2030. Following the Duke and Duchess’s involvement, the Earthshot Prize will become its own entity by the end of this year.
Documentary programmes about the five Earthshot goals, and the Awards Ceremony are available to watch on BBC iPlayer.
Featured image courtesy of Philip T. Reeker via Wikimedia Commons. Image license found here. No changes were made to this image.
Alice Manning
Alice is an English and History graduate of the University of York. She is interested in investigating the issues that matter to contemporary society through features, current affairs pieces and reviews. Away from writing, she is a keen musician and occasional baker.