Recently, Britain’s Prince William has made headlines by initiating a 50-million pound Earthshot Prize. This significant award is designed to finance the most groundbreaking solutions to some of the world’s urgent environmental issues. With this initiative, Prince William aims to motivate individuals and organizations worldwide to come up with innovative approaches to address such challenges.
Understanding the Earthshot Prize
The Earthshot Prize revolves around five “Earthshots” – ambitious yet straightforward objectives for our planet. The objective is to accomplish these goals by 2030, thereby improving life on Earth for all living beings, including future generations. This prize has been recognized as the most esteemed international award for the environment.
The Five Earthshots include:
1. Safeguard and rejuvenate nature
2. Purify our air
3. Revitalize our oceans
4. Establish a waste-free world
5. Rectify our climate
The Awards Ceremony
Every year between 2021 and 2030, the Earthshot Prize will be presented in various cities across the globe. Every year, five winners will be chosen from 15 finalists for each of the Earthshots. The inaugural awards event is set to occur in London during the autumn of 2021.
Benefits to Awardees
Following the awards ceremony, each winner will gain global recognition and a distinguished profile. Their success stories will be highlighted over the decade, with the aim that their solutions lead to mass adoption, replication, and scaling. Additionally, the £1 million prize money will support environmental and conservation projects mutually agreed on with the winner.
Eligibility Criteria
The Earthshot Prize could potentially be awarded to a variety of individuals, teams, or collaborations. These might include scientists, activists, economists, community projects, leaders, governments, banks, businesses, cities, and countries. The core criterion is that the applicant’s feasible solutions should significantly contribute to achieving the Earthshots.
Prize Management
The Earthshot Prize will be administered not only by the Prize Council but also by its Global Alliance. This organization network shares the ambition of the Prize to mend the planet.
Background
Popular British broadcaster and conservationist David Attenborough has backed this launch. Prince William and the Royal Foundation of the Duke invested two years to develop this project, aimed at supporting worldwide efforts to safeguard and restore the environment. Worth mentioning is that Sir David Attenborough was recently awarded the Indira Gandhi Peace Prize for 2019.
The inspiration behind launching this Prize has been derived from former USA President John F. Kennedy’s Moonshot. This venture united millions of people around the goal of sending a man to the moon and stimulated the development of novel technology during the 1960s.
