A “significant financial award” will be presented to 50 innovative biodiversity, energy and pollution solutions over the next decade.

The Earthshot Prize, set up by Prince William and his wife, the Duchess of Cambridge, will be awarded each year from 2021 to 2030 to five individuals or organisations dedicated to halting the climate crisis.

An official royal family Instagram post describes Earthshot as “the most prestigious environmental prize in history.”

“Led by Prince William and a global alliance, the Earthshot Prize will inspire the planet’s greatest problem solvers to solve Earth’s greatest problems: the emergencies facing our natural world.”

 

 

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“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. • Remember the awe inspiring civilisations that we have built, the life-saving technology we have created, the fact that we have put a man on the moon. • People can achieve great things. And the next ten years present us with one of our greatest tests – a decade of action to repair the Earth.” • Led by Prince William and a global alliance, the @EarthshotPrize will inspire the the planet’s greatest problem solvers to solve Earth’s greatest problems: the emergencies facing our natural world. Take a look at our previous post to see the launch film, and follow @EarthshotPrize to stay updated. Photo ? by The Duchess of Cambridge, taken at a glacier in the Hindu Kush mountain range, situated in the Chitral District of Pakistan’s Khyber-Pakhtunkwa Province.

A post shared by Kensington Palace (@kensingtonroyal) on Dec 31, 2019 at 3:25am PST

 

Announced via a video narrated by British environmental icon David Attenborough, the prize is named after what the organisers describe as the “most audacious” challenge in human history: the “moonshot” attempt to put a person on the moon.

“A seemingly impossible task that over a single decade became a reality,” Attenborough explains. “And along the way, united the world.”

The BBC adds that more than 60 organisations and experts were consulted in the development of the prize, which will be backed by philanthropists and other organisations.

The launch of Earthshot follows years of high profile environmental action by Prince William’s father, Prince Charles, and his grandfather, Prince Philip — both of whom campaigned against the illegal wildlife trade. It also comes just weeks after a wave of damaging press for the royals, amid increasing scrutiny over Prince Andrew’s close relationship to deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

More information will be released about the prize when it goes live later in 2020.