Prince William is set to travel to Brazil next month to award five deserving projects with a £1million grant as part of his 2025 Earthshot Prize.
The Prince of Wales, who established the prize in 2020, will join fellow council members at Rio de Janeiro's awards ceremony on November 5.
Ahead of his trip, the 15 finalists that have demonstrated exceptional climate leadership across a range of countries, sectors and business models have been announced.
Among the projects going forward are a British firm developing washing machine filters to combat microplastic pollution and the island nation of Barbados, which is on track to become fossil-free by 2030.
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Prince William will travel to Brazil next month to select the finalists of his Earthshot Prize
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"As we reach the halfway point of the Earthshot decade, I am truly inspired by this year's Finalists, which embody the urgent optimism sitting right at the heart of our mission," Prince William said.
He added: “In just five years, The Earthshot Prize has shown that the answers to our planet’s greatest challenges not only already exist, but that they are firmly within our grasp.”
The selection process for this year's cohort involved nearly 2,500 nominations submitted through the Prize's extensive network of 575 nominators spanning 72 nations.
These candidates underwent rigorous evaluation by the Prize's selection partners and an Expert Advisory Panel comprising over 100 specialists from conservation, science, technology, business, finance, academia and policy backgrounds.
Ahead of his trip, the 15 finalists for the competition have been announced
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The final determination of the five winners rests with Prince William and the distinguished Earthshot Prize Council, led by Dame Christiana Figueres, the architect behind the Paris Climate Agreement.
Council member and Hollywood star Cate Blanchett expressed her enthusiasm for the upcoming deliberations: "To serve on the Prize Council alongside Prince William and my fellow members is a privilege and I'm excited for the debates ahead as we choose our winners."
“Five years with The Earthshot Prize has shown me that optimism isn’t abstract – it’s something made real by people bold enough to act now.
“What I'm especially proud of this year is the way in which entire categories of Finalists are challenging our expected views and behaviours - the way we enjoy fashion, how we buy electronics, protect forests - even wash our clothes - could be fundamentally different by 2030 because of them,” she added.
Prince William launched the Earthshot Prize in 2020
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Along with Prince William and Cate Blanchett, the Earthshot Prize Council included: Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan, Indra Nooyi, José Andrés, Wanjira Mathai, Nemonte Nenquimo, Luisa Neubauer, Naoko Yamazaki, Ernest Gibson, and Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.
The environmental award has demonstrated substantial global impact since its inception five years ago, with the 60 finalists from previous years collectively securing more than £371million in investment for their climate solutions.
These innovators have safeguarded and rehabilitated over one million square kilometres of terrestrial and marine ecosystems, whilst diverting more than 250,000 tonnes of materials from landfill sites and preventing 300,000 kilograms of atmospheric pollutants.
Most significantly, their combined initiatives have eliminated, prevented or sequestered more than 4.8 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions, contributing measurably to climate mitigation efforts for coming generations.
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The Prince of Wales has said he is travelling to Brazil with 'urgent optimism'
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Previous recipients of the prize have achieved remarkable environmental transformations across multiple continents, demonstrating the tangible impact of targeted funding and support.
d.light, a 2024 Clean our Air finalist, has brought solar-powered solutions to 200 million people throughout Africa, whilst Notpla, the 2022 Waste Free World finalist, has substituted 21.5 million disposable plastic products with biodegradable seaweed-based alternatives.
Pristine Seas, shortlisted in 2021 for ocean revival, has created 30 major marine conservation zones spanning 6.9 million square kilometres, an area exceeding twice India's landmass.
The Altyn Dala Conservation Initiative successfully restored Kazakhstan's Saiga Antelope population from 40,000 to over four million within two decades, whilst Boomitra has partnered with 10,000 farmers globally to implement regenerative farming methods.