A “significant financial award” will be presented to 50 innovative biodiversity, energy and pollution solutions over the next decade.
The Earthshot Prize, set up by Prince William and his wife, the Duchess of Cambridge, will be awarded each year from 2021 to 2030 to five individuals or organisations dedicated to halting the climate crisis.
An official royal family Instagram post describes Earthshot as “the most prestigious environmental prize in history.”
“Led by Prince William and a global alliance, the Earthshot Prize will inspire the planet’s greatest problem solvers to solve Earth’s greatest problems: the emergencies facing our natural world.”
Announced via a video narrated by British environmental icon David Attenborough, the prize is named after what the organisers describe as the “most audacious” challenge in human history: the “moonshot” attempt to put a person on the moon.
“A seemingly impossible task that over a single decade became a reality,” Attenborough explains. “And along the way, united the world.”
The BBC adds that more than 60 organisations and experts were consulted in the development of the prize, which will be backed by philanthropists and other organisations.
The launch of Earthshot follows years of high profile environmental action by Prince William’s father, Prince Charles, and his grandfather, Prince Philip — both of whom campaigned against the illegal wildlife trade. It also comes just weeks after a wave of damaging press for the royals, amid increasing scrutiny over Prince Andrew’s close relationship to deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
More information will be released about the prize when it goes live later in 2020.
