Prince William Unveils Finalists for the Fourth Earthshot Prize in New Video: 'True Inspirations'

Mar. 15, 2025

Prince William making his announcement of the next cohort of Earthshot Prize finalists, Windsor, UK, Sept. 2024.Photo:Earthshot

Earthshot

Prince Williamis ushering in the next wave of groundbreaking solutions to help save the planet.

On Sept. 24, the Prince of Wales revealed the 15 finalists for his passion project,The Earthshot Prize. The winners, who will compete for a $1.3 million prize to scale their ventures, will be announced at a gala in Cape Town, South Africa, on Nov. 6. Notably, three of this year’s finalists hail from the U.S.

In a video to announce the finalists, shot earlier this month in Windsor, William (sporting his new beard!), “I’m delighted to introduce you to this year’s 15 new Earthshot Prize finalists. These solutions are some of the most exciting, innovative and impactful we’ve seen, and the people behind them are true inspirations. I know you’re as passionate as I am about making a difference to our planet, and we can’t wait to share their stories with you.”

The Earthshot Prize Innovation Summit is taking place in N.Y.C. at the same time that Prince William’s brother,Prince Harry, is in the city for several meetings related to causes he supports. Prince William wasn’t in attendance in person, so the brothers didn’t cross paths.

Prince William attending the Earthshot Prize ceremony in Singapore in Nov. 2023.Chris Jackson/Getty

Chris Jackson/Getty

Now in its fourth year, The Earthshot Prize continues its 10-year mission to identify and support visionary individuals and businesses with scalable solutions to combat environmental damage. The prize’s influence is growing rapidly, as this year’s 15 finalists were selected from nearly 2,500 entries across 139 countries—the largest pool of applicants in the prize’s history, according to William’s organization.

“Today, we celebrate the incredible achievement, unwavering dedication and urgent optimism that drives our fourth class of Earthshot innovators,” William, who is both founder and president of The Earthshot Prize, added in a statement. “The passion of these finalists is a testament to what can be achieved when we tap into the enormous creativity, ingenuity and optimism of communities around the world.“

“Representing every corner of the globe, these finalists are leading the way in solving some of the most urgent environmental challenges," the statement continued. “Their groundbreaking work is inspiring hope and action as we work to create a sustainable future for generations to come.”

There are three finalists in each of The Earthshot Prize’s five categories: Protect and Restore Nature, Clean Our Air, Revive Our Ocean, Build a Waste-Free World and Fix Our Climate. The three U.S. finalists areNatural Fiber Welding(NFW) in the Build a Waste Free World category and bothEquaticandAdvanced Thermovoltaic Systemsin the Fix Our Climate section.

Equatic, for its part, uses a process called seawater electrolysis to remove carbon dioxide from the ocean 99,000 times faster than nature can. Advanced Thermovoltaic Systems takes excess heat from heavy industrial processes and converts it into electricity.

The 2024 Earthshot Prize finalists.Earthshot

The other finalist in Fix Our Climate is Build Up Nepal, a social enterprise that has developed an earthquake-resilient brick with 75% lower carbon emissions compared to traditional clay-fired bricks.

Luke Haverhals, Founder and CEO of Earthshot Prize finalist NFW - Natural Fiber Welding.Earthshot

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Guarav Sant founder of Equatic an Earthshot Prize finalist, 2024.Earthshot

Prince William with (left) conservationist and broadcaster Sir David Attenborough in Sept. 2019.Mark Cuthbert/UK Press via Getty

Mark Cuthbert/UK Press via Getty

Along with Prince William, the council tasked with choosing the winners includes Queen Rania of Jordan, Cate Blanchett, Sir David Attenborough, Indra Nooyi, designer Stella McCartney, chef José Andrés, Wanjira Mathai, Nemonte Nenquimo, Luisa Neubauer, Naoko Yamazaki, Ernest Gibson and Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.

source: people.com