The Earthshot Prize is designed to incentivise change and help to repair our planet over the next ten years.

Launched by Prince William and The Royal Foundation in October 2020, it unites people to tackle some of today’s biggest challenges, delivering impact on a range of issues that matter to Their Royal Highnesses and to society.

“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. People can achieve great things. The next ten years present us with one of our greatest tests – a decade of action to repair the Earth.” Prince William

The finalists are split into 5 categories, each with three nominees and one winner, the categories and winners include:

1. Fix our climate

We have been burning fossil fuels since the 18th century, and it has had, without doubt the biggest impact to global warming. The push for renewable energy sources grows every year but much more can be done.

AEM Electrolyser have created the first scalable, plug and play electrolyser that replaces fossil fuels with green hydrogen. They turn water electrolysis into a universal and affordable product and the technology fuels cars and planes, powers industry and heats homes. 

The next step for them is to help scale mass production with a vision to account for 10% of the worlds hydrogen generation by 2050.

Read more on: https://www.enapter.com/

Other nominees:

• Reedi Capsules, Nigeria: Renting out solar powered energy capsules.

• Solbazaar, Bangladesh: Creating the worlds first solar P2P energy exchange network.

2. Build a waste free world

Here in the UK Supermarkets are throwing away the equivalent of 190 million meals a year that could be given to the hungry.

Launched in 2019 Milan's food waste hubs recover food mainly from supermarkets and company canteens and give it to NGO's who distribute it to the needy.

They encompass public agencies, food banks, charities, NGO's, universities and private businesses. There are three food waste hubs each recovering 130 tonnes of food per year (250kg per day) or 260,000 meals

Milan has created scaleable template that can be incorporated in any major city. If others followed their lead food waste would be much more manageable and evenly distributed. 

Read more on: https://foodpolicymilano.org/

Other nominees:

• Sanergy, Kenya: Turning sanitation waste from slums into agriculture products.

• Wota Box, Japan: Turning 98% of water waste into drinking water. 

3. Revive our oceans

Coral Vita protects threatened ecosystems by growing diverse and resilient corals on land and planting them into degraded reefs, giving life to dying ecosystems.

Anyone can adopt coral fragments to be grown and out-planted into degraded reefs, helping in the effort to preserve these endangered ecosystems for future generations.

As well as restoring reefs, they work with local communities, public officials, and private companies to improve, educate and create new job prospects. Coral Vita gives new life not just to the ocean but to coastal economies as well.

Read more on: https://www.coralvita.co/

Other nominees:

• Pristine Seas, USA: Exploring, documenting and inspiring others to protect our oceans.

• Living Seawalls, Australia: Creating habitable, modular panels to encourage sea life growth in urban areas. 

4. Clean our air

Farmers in many parts of the world set fire to fields in a process called ''Subscribed burnings'' to clear stubble, weeds and waste before sowing a new crop. This process is highly unsustainable, as it produces large amounts of air pollution as well as having major health consequences to the locals nearby

Takachar transforms this waste into marketable products around the world whilst reducing some emissions by up to 98%.

They have developed a cheap, small-scale, portable technology that attaches to tractors in remote farms. The machine converts crop residues into sellable bio-products like fuel and fertilizer.

If scaled, it could cut a billion tonnes of carbon dioxide a year: Not only a win for India's farmers but also global emissions.

Read more on: https://www.takachar.com/

Other nominees:

• The Blue Map App, China: Creating a environment database giving citizens the opportunity to advocate change in their local communities.

• Vinisha Umashankar, India: 14 year old Vinisha, uses her solar powered ironing cart as alternative to the charcoal powered street irons. 

5. Protect and restore nature

Global forests are home to half of our plants and animals, as well as playing an important role of transforming carbon onto the oxygen we breathe. From 2002 to 2019 global tropical forest loss averaged 8.3 million acres per year, the size of Belgium or one football field every 6 seconds. In some forests, including the Amazon, deforestation is increasing. 

In Costa Rica It is thought that between a half and third of forest cover had been destroyed by 1987. In 1996 the government stepped in and made it illegal to chop down forests without permission.

The Minister of Environment paid its citizen to protect forests, plant trees and restore ecosystems. Since then the forests have incredibly more than doubled in size and now with their vibrant ecosystem tourism boomed contributing $4 billion to the economy. 

Other nominees:

• Pole to pole foundation, The Democratic Republic of The Congo: Running affordable farming projects, teaching conservation, providing support to rangers and planting trees.

• Restor, Switzerland: Creating a science based open data platform to support and connect the global restoration movement.