Today (8 October) marks the launch of The Earthshot Prize, the ‘most prestigious global environment prize in history’, incentivising worldwide change with a decade of action to repair our planet.
WRAP says it has worked closely with The Royal Foundation on the development of The Earthshot Prize.
The project sets out to will support the global effort to protect and restore the environment while also turning what WRAP calls ‘the current pessimism surrounding environmental issues’ into optimism, highlighting the ‘ability of human ingenuity to bring about change’.
It’s time for a world without waste and that’s what the Earthshot Prize is about. We are delighted and proud to be a Global Alliance Partner of this critical initiative
Taking inspiration from John F. Kennedy’s Moonshot, which united millions of people around an organising goal to put man on the moon, and catalysed the development of new technology in the 1960s, The Earthshot Prize is centred around five ‘Earthshots’.
Each is a simple but ambitious goal for our planet, which if achieved by 2030 will improve life for us all, and for generations to come. The Earthshots are:
- Protect and Restore Nature
- Clean our Air
- Revive our Oceans
- Build a Waste-Free World
- Fix our Climate
Together, they form a unique set of challenges rooted in science, which aim to generate new ways of thinking, as well as new technologies, systems, policies and solutions.
By bringing these five critical issues together, The Earthshot Prize recognises the interconnectivity between environmental challenges and the urgent need to tackle them together.
Every year from 2021 until 2030, Prince William, alongside The Earthshot Prize Council, which covers six continents, will award The Earthshot Prize to five winners, one per Earthshot, whose evidence-based solutions make the most progress towards these goals.
Marcus Gover, WRAP CEO, said: “When we waste, we are not just wasting what we throw away.
“The waste we see is the tip of the iceberg. We don’t see all the energy, carbon, water, time and care that went into making what we discard. The true footprint of waste is often huge.
“With food for example, the true cost of food waste is over ten times the disposal cost, and the global greenhouse gas emissions caused by food waste are six times those from aviation.
“It’s time for a world without waste and that’s what the Earthshot Prize is about. We are delighted and proud to be a Global Alliance Partner of this critical initiative.”
Earthshot Prize
The Earthshot Prize aims to find new solutions that work on every level, have a positive effect on environmental change and improve living standards globally, particularly for communities who are most at risk from climate change. Prizes could be awarded to a wide range of individuals, teams or collaborations – scientists, activists, economists, community projects, leaders, governments, banks, businesses, cities, and countries – anyone whose workable solutions make a substantial contribution to achieving the Earthshots.
Every year from 2021 until 2030, Prince William, alongside The Earthshot Prize Council which covers six continents, will award The Earthshot Prize to five winners, one per Earthshot.
Nominations will open on 1st November, with over 100 nominating partners from across the world being invited to submit nominations of those individuals, communities, businesses and organisations who could win The Earthshot Prize. Nominators will include the Global Alliance but also academic and non-profit institutions from across the world who have been selected for their ability to identify the most impactful solutions to the Earthshots.
The 5-stage prize process to select a winner for each Earthshot has been designed in partnership with the Centre for Public Impact and a range of international experts. Nominations will be screened as part of an independent assessment process run by Deloitte, our implementation partner. A distinguished panel of experts will support the judging process, making recommendations to the Prize Council who will select the final winners.
“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
His Royal Highness, Prince William, said: “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.”
An awards ceremony will take place in different cities across the world each year between 2021 and 2030, at which the five winners for each of the Earthshots will be selected from 15 finalists. The first awards ceremony will take place in London in autumn 2021.
After the awards, each winner will receive a global platform and prestigious profile, with their stories being showcased over the decade and the ambition that their solutions lead to mass adoption, replication and scaling. The £1 million in prize money will support environmental and conservation projects that are agreed with the winners. Shortlisted nominees will also be given tailored support and opportunities to help scale their work, including being connected with an ecosystem of likeminded individuals and organisations. In the months ahead, more information about the design of the physical prize to be received by each of the winners will be revealed.
Over the course of the next decade, The Earthshot Prize will find and highlight the most inspiring solutions to the world’s greatest challenges. But the Prize is about much more than awarding achievement – it is a decade of action to convene the environmental world with funders, businesses and individuals to maximise impact and take solutions to scale, to celebrate the people and places driving change; and to inspire people all over the world to work together to repair the planet.
