Today, at the third-annual Earthshot Innovation Summit, held in partnership with Bloomberg Philanthropies, The Earthshot Prize unveiled its fourth cohort of Prize Finalists, an inspiring group of global innovators, entrepreneurs, community leaders and advocates pioneering solutions to our most pressing climate and environmental challenges.
Each of the 15 Finalists are in the running to receive five £1 million prizes which will be awarded at The Earthshot Prize Awards Ceremony in Cape Town, South Africa on Wednesday 6 November.
This year’s Finalists were selected from nearly 2,500 nominees submitted by the Prize’s network of more than 430 nominators from 75 countries. The 15 Finalists were chosen by The Earthshot Prize based on assessments done by its selection partners and Expert Advisory Panel, a global group of more than 100 subject-matter experts with deep backgrounds in conservation, science, technology, business, finance, academia and policy.
During the year-long search and select process, The Earthshot Prize, its selection partners, and members of the Expert Advisory Panel evaluated each Finalist’s solution for its potential to disrupt environmental challenges and positively impact people, communities and our planet. As a result, the 2024 Earthshot Prize celebrates the most competitive cohort to date. The 15 Finalists hail from six continents and include several firsts for The Prize, including the first Finalists from France, Ghana, Indonesia, Kazakhstan and Nepal.
Today, we celebrate the incredible achievement, unwavering dedication and urgent optimism that drives our fourth class of Earthshot innovators.
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. Their groundbreaking work is inspiring hope and action as we work to create a sustainable future for generations to come.
As The Prize continues its journey to repair and regenerate the planet, it has become a powerful global search engine unearthing the best environmental solutions and a platform for impact to catalyze critical investment and resources towards these solutions. Today’s announcement brings the number of global solutions honored as Prize Finalists to 60, a major milestone in The Prize’s efforts to uncover and elevate the most promising climate solutions around the world. The Prize has also helped unlock more than £75 million in direct and in-kind support for Finalists since its founding in 2020.
The Prize is focused on discovering, spotlighting and helping scale innovative solutions that the world needs if we are to collectively achieve critical environmental goals. Solutions selected align to the five ‘Earthshots’ – simple, ambitious and aspirational goals defining the world we wish to build for future generations: Protect and Restore Nature, Clean Our Air, Revive Our Oceans, Build A Waste-Free World and Fix Our Climate.
The five Winners of this year’s Prize will be selected by Prince William and his fellow members of the prestigious Earthshot Prize Council, a diverse group of individuals dedicated to championing urgent and innovative action to protect the climate and our natural environment. The Earthshot Prize Council is chaired by The Earthshot Prize Board of Trustees Chair, Dame Christiana Figueres, architect of the Paris Agreement.
Members of The Earthshot Prize Council are HRH Prince William, Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah, Cate Blanchett, Sir David Attenborough, Indra Nooyi, Stella McCartney, José Andrés, Wanjira Mathai, Nemonte Nenquimo, Luisa Neubauer, Naoko Yamazaki, Ernest Gibson, and Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.
The 2024 Earthshot Prize Winners will be announced at the fourth Earthshot Prize Awards, taking place on Wednesday 6 November in Cape Town, South Africa. The awards ceremony will be part of Earthshot Week, a series of events convening global leaders, investors, philanthropists, businesses and NGOs to explore opportunities with The Earthshot Prize Winners and Finalists and work together to address the roadblocks preventing solutions and sectors from speeding to scale.
The Finalists’ eligibility for one of five £1 million prizes is only the beginning of their Earthshot journey. Each Finalist will receive dedicated mentorship, resources and technical support to help accelerate the growth of their solution during the Earthshot Prize Fellowship Programme.
That support includes access to the Prize’s robust network of influential businesses, investors and climate experts, including The Earthshot Prize’s Global Alliance of Partners, comprised of some of the world’s largest businesses, donors, investors and environmental organizations committed to climate action.
Finalists will also have access to Launchpad, Earthshot’s bespoke online innovative finance platform to matchmake Earthshot solutions to a growing community of members made up of mission-aligned donors and investors seeking to speed proven environmental solutions to scale.
Discover the stories behind the new Earthshot Prize Finalists and learn more about Cape Town 2024.