11 Sep 2023
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Tonight, the world’s most prestigious and impactful environmental award, The Earthshot Prize, announced its five 2025 Winners at a star-studded Awards Night at the iconic Museum of Tomorrow in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
The Awards were hosted by award-winning Brazilian broadcaster Luciano Huck. The night also featured performances from Brazilian queen of pop, Anitta, and global star Kylie Minogue.
The Winners, one in each of the five Earthshots categories, will be awarded £1 million to advance or replicate their work and in recognition of their achievement and potential.
The 2025 Winners of The Earthshot Prize are:
When I founded The Earthshot Prize in 2020, we had a ten-year goal; to make this the decade in which we transformed our world for the better. We set out to tackle environmental issues head on and make real, lasting changes that would protect life on Earth.
It was a mission driven by the kind of extraordinary optimism we have felt here tonight, from these innovators. Their work is the proof we need that progress is possible. Their stories are the inspiration that gives us courage. And there’s a great deal we can learn from their determination, their vision for scale, and their unyielding belief that we can create a better world.
There feels a real symmetry in being here in Rio this year – climate has come home! So much of climate progress started in this city in 1992. To be here now for The Earthshot Prize Summit and Awards Night – at the halfway point of this critical decade – and ten years on from Paris – feels momentous.
As we build a global legacy, these Winners are proof that the spirit of collective action born here in Rio continues to grow stronger, more determined, and more urgent than ever. Their 2030 aims are deeply ambitious – but their impact to date, their plans in place and their tenacity fuels my optimism. I am in no doubt that 2030 will be a better world because of them.
Winner for Protect and Restore Nature
Headquartered in Rio de Janeiro, re.green makes protecting the Atlantic Forest – one of the richest and most important ecosystems on Earth – financially viable. Its unique restoration approach combines AI, drones and satellite imagery with ecological and financial data to quickly identify land with the biggest potential for restoration. Its model allows nature to return and flourish while also generating revenues from high-quality carbon credits and sustainable timber, creating reliable income streams that support long-term stewardship.
Already operating across 30,000 hectares, in four Brazilian States, by 2030 re.green will restore 200,000 hectares of Atlantic Forest in Brazil; by 2040 it will have restored one million. It has a target fundraise of $60 million by the end of 2025, to scale its AI and satellite technology. Winning The Earthshot Prize will be instrumental in accelerating this.
Winner for Clean our Air
Since 2018, air pollution in the City of Bogotá has fallen by 24% – despite a growing population of 7.9 million. Through clean air zones, re-greening degraded areas, the largest cycle path network in Latin America and one of the world’s biggest electric bus fleets, Bogota has shown how public policy can bring systemic and lasting change. Traffic has eased, commutes have shortened, and physical activity has risen, delivering cleaner air, healthier citizens and more liveable neighbourhoods.
By 2030 the city will have reduced its GHG emissions by 50%, and be carbon neutral by 2050, through electrification and cross-government policy. Winning The Earthshot Prize means that Bogotá can launch a second low-emission zone in 2026. In partnership with The Earthshot Prize, Bogotá will also launch a replication blueprint and convene the mayors of 10 cities (five in Latin America and five globally).
Winner for Revive our Oceans
The High Seas Treaty is one of the world’s most ambitious ocean initiatives. Following the 60th ratification in September 2025, the Treaty will officially enter into force in January 2026, marking the beginning of a new era in ocean protection. Without the High Seas Treaty, we cannot achieve the vital global goal of putting 30% of land and sea into conservation by 2030.
The High Seas Treaty became the first-ever global legal framework for Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) on the High Seas and sets out clear measures to prevent overfishing, conserve ocean life and promote fair participation for developing countries.
By 2030, The High Seas Alliance expects the Treaty will be universally ratified and High Seas MPAs will be adopted. Winning The Earthshot Prize will go towards helping enable the establishment of the first High Seas protected area.
Winner for Build a Waste-Free World
As Africa’s most influential fashion event, Lagos Fashion Week is a cultural force, redefining the industry across the continent through a distinctly African lens. Every designer wishing to show at Lagos Fashion Week must demonstrate their commitment to sustainable practice, from how materials are sourced and dyed, to how garments are produced and transported. By holding brands accountable to these standards during the most important week of the fashion year, they have shaped how brands behave year-round.
By 2030, Lagos aims to have replicated its model across five fashion weeks. Winning The Earthshot Prize will support Lagos Fashion Week to achieve those replication plans in Kigali, Dakar and Accra.
Winner for Fix Our Climate
Founded by Runa Khan in 2002, Friendship is dedicated to helping vulnerable communities across Bangladesh not only prepare for natural disasters, but also supporting their health, education, livelihoods and access to public services.
From its beginnings as a single floating hospital, Friendship has grown into a dedicated social purpose organisation. Today it reaches more than 7.5 million people each year, provides over 8.3 million days of emergency food support, and gives more than 80,000 people access to safe drinking water in coastal areas.
By 2030 Friendship will protect 7,000km of coastline with mangrove and wetland restoration, and expand disaster relief for 50 million people. Winning The Earthshot Prize will help directly scale its work.
As in previous years, the five Winners of this year’s Prize were selected by Prince William and fellow members of the prestigious Earthshot Prize Council, a diverse group of individuals dedicated to protecting the climate and our natural environment.
The Earthshot Prize Council – chaired by Christiana Figueres, architect of the Paris Climate Accord – includes Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah, Cate Blanchett, Indra Nooyi, José Andrés, Wanjira Mathai, Nemonte Nenquimo, Luisa Neubauer, Naoko Yamazaki, Ernest Gibson, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and most recently, philanthropist, environmental advocate, author, and supermodel Gisele Bündchen.
In addition to the five £1 million prizes supporting the growth of Winners’ solutions, each of the 15 Earthshot Prize Finalists will receive dedicated support to scale their impact, including access to the Prize’s global platform and unprecedented Global Alliance, comprising some of the world’s largest businesses, donors, investors and environmental organisations committed to climate action.
This year’s cohort were selected from nearly 2,500 nominees submitted by the Prize’s network of 575 nominators from 72 countries. The 15 Finalists were chosen based on assessments undertaken by The Earthshot Prize’s 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.
