Earthshot Prize 2025 Winners Announced by Prince William in Rio

Thu Nov 06 2025 17:50:11 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

The Earthshot Prize ceremony held in Rio de Janeiro reveals innovative projects aimed at addressing critical environmental challenges, awarding £1 million each to the winners.

At a vibrant ceremony in Rio de Janeiro, Prince William announced the 2025 winners of the Earthshot Prize, a global initiative he founded to combat climate change. Five innovative projects were recognized, each receiving £1 million to scale their initiatives, including a tropical forest restoration project and a global ocean treaty initiative. The event featured celebrity performances and highlighted the urgent need for collective action against environmental degradation.

Earthshot Prize 2025 Winners Announced by Prince William in Rio

A project to restore tropical forests and a global ocean treaty initiative are among the winners of this year's Earthshot Prize.

The winners, named at an awards ceremony in Brazil on Wednesday, will each be given £1m to scale up their projects to repair the climate.

The Prince of Wales, who founded the global environmental award in 2020, said the winners were an inspiration and proof that progress is possible.

Brazilian football legend Cafu, Olympian Rebeca Andrade, and former Formula 1 driver Sebastian Vettel were among the presenters, while pop stars Kylie Minogue and Shawn Mendes performed at the ceremony in Rio de Janeiro's Museum of Tomorrow.

UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, Energy Secretary Ed Miliband, and London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan also attended.

Prince William, who is the president of the prize, told those gathered that he founded the award 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, he affirmed.

The prize was inspired by former US President John F. Kennedy's Moonshot project, which challenged scientists to get astronauts to the Moon and back safely.

There are five Earthshots, or goals, for which an award is given: Protect and Restore Nature; Clean Our Air; Revive Our Oceans; Build a Waste-Free World; and Fix Our Climate.

This year, nearly 2,500 nominees were submitted from 72 countries. From these, 15 finalists were selected, with five winners ultimately chosen.

The winners included:

Protect and Restore Nature: re.green, in Brazil, focuses on financially viable methods to protect the Atlantic Forest.
Clean Our Air: Bogotá's public policies showcase lasting change through clean air zones.
Revive Our Oceans: The High Seas Treaty introduces measures to conserve marine life.
Build a Waste-Free World: Lagos Fashion Week in Nigeria promotes sustainable practices in the fashion industry.
Fix Our Climate: Friendship supports vulnerable communities in Bangladesh in various areas, including disaster preparedness.

The chief executive of re.green, Thiago Picolo, mentioned, Winning a prize like this is validation for us, emphasizing its importance in discussions with potential capital providers.

Prince William commended the winners as innovators and noted the optimistic spirit of the event, encouraging collective action for environmental sustainability.

The ceremony culminated in performances by musicians, underlining the vibrant atmosphere and shared commitment towards a sustainable future.