2 weeks Ago By People
Prince William 's Earthshot Prize is adding a new continent to its roster as it marks its halfway point. The Prince of Wales, 42, confirmed on April 3 that the annual awards, which reward new ideas to increase the sustainability of the planet, and the week of events around them, will take place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in November. The country was likely picked so it can dovetail with the 2025 UN Climate Change Conference (known in shorthand as COP30), which is heading to Brazil too.
William is set to take part in that in an as-yet-unannounced manner, it emerged late last year. In a statement issued late April 3, Prince William said of the fifth iteration of the decade-long awards, “2025 marks the midway point of the Earthshot decade, and each year we’ve witnessed the remarkable power of human ingenuity in addressing our planet's most pressing challenges." "As we bring The Earthshot Prize to Brazil, a nation rich in biodiversity and environmental innovation, we are seeing fresh momentum for new ideas to create healthier and safer ways to live our lives," the royal added.
"It is an honor to profile the people making our world a better place for us and for our children." The news was heralded in a new video featuring William along with some famous faces. In the clip, the Prince of Wales announced Brazil as the next award ceremony's host country to Earthshot Prize Global Ambassadors Robert Irwin and Nomzamo Mbatha, telling them, "I think Brazil really epitomizes where the Prize needs to land.
" Irwin and Mbatha were then tasked with spreading the word to Earthshot Prize supporters like Cate Blanchett, Hannah Waddingham, Billy Porter, Jacinda Ardern, Christiana Figueres and Heidi Klum . New Brazilian supporters like soccer star Cafu, Maju Coutinho, Marcos Palmeira and Mauro Silva are also featured. David Beckham reacted to the location reveal by saying, "I am so, so excited," calling Brazil "where nature and culture go hand-in-hand.
" This year's Earthshot Prize awards take it to South America for the first time, marking the fifth continent to host the event in as many years. Last year, the Cape Town ceremony was the first time the awards were held in Africa. The first three award shows in the 10-year project were held in London, Boston and Singapore.
It's not known if Kate Middleton , 43, will join Prince William for the trip to South America. After joining her husband in London and Boston, she missed the past two iterations of the event. In 2023, she stayed at home to support the couple's son Prince George , now 11, as he prepared for important school exams, and she missed last year's ceremony amid her cancer treatment.
Related: Prince William Says 'I Can Be Myself' and 'Get Away' from 'Stuff That Happens in My Normal Life' When in Africa As in other years, five winners across five categories — Protect & Restore Nature, Clean Our Air, Revive Our Oceans, Build A Waste-Free World and Fix Our Climate — will be picked from 15 finalists. That shortlist will be announced in September. In Brazil, it's expected that Prince William and his team will build other activities around the Earthshot Prize.
In Cape Town, for example, he was joined by Australian TV personality Robert Irwin for an early morning stroll beneath South Africa's iconic Table Mountain. As they walked in Signal Hill and part of the Cape Floral Kingdom World Heritage Site, the Prince of Wales engaged with rangers, conservationists, firefighters, mountain rescue volunteers, biodiversity experts and youth advocates to highlight the urgent need for biodiversity conservation. At the center of the visit to Brazil will be a star-studded awards evening.
In 2024, Heidi Klum, Nina Dobrev and Billy Porter took part in the ceremony in South Africa. At the first awards in London, Coldplay performed. Prince William also uses the week of the glamorous prize night to highlight some of the groundbreaking initiatives and projects being done to aid the fight to solve some of the planet's challenges.
Related: Prince William’s Eco-Sneaker Confession Turns Heads in Cape Town: 'He Said He's Got a Pair!' During his time in Cape Town, Prince William was called a "coalition builder" by some of the 15 shortlisted finalists. Mary Allen, Creative Director of Illinois' Natural Fiber Welding (which created the materials for the eco-friendly sneakers William wore to the awards evening), reflected to PEOPLE, “Earthshot is filling a desperately needed gap in terms of giving visibility to game-changing solutions from all over the world, in all different sectors." "Every founder’s story here is different.
By bringing us together, it gives us an opportunity to learn and grow together and cross-pollinate. It’s hard to measure the impact of that, but it’s invaluable. This has been one of the most transformative weeks of my career in sustainability.
” Speculation that the awards would be held in Brazil was rife amid the 2024 awards in South Africa because it was confirmed that Prince William was looking forward to “playing a role” at COP30, which takes place in mid-November. His participation would build on his increasing role as a world statesman. Also, William would follow in the footsteps of his father, King Charles , who has attended and spoken at climate conferences several times.
Dame Christiana Figueres, Chair of the Board of Trustees of The Earthshot Prize said they are "thrilled" to be taking the prize and its message to South America: "The world has so much to learn from the people and communities across Brazil, developing game-changing solutions that drive innovation and creativity, and unlock prosperity." "In particular, we are excited to shine a light on so many young people who are actively pushing through boundaries," she adds. "They are the heroes of this story.
” The awards are not the end of the involvement with the prince and the wider Earthshot movement. Prince William keeps up with the winners and finalists in his decade-long project, hosting meetings and undertaking visits throughout the year. In January, he paid a visit to NatureMetrics, a 2024 Earthshot Prize finalist in Guildford, U.
K., that enables companies to measure and report on their impact on nature and ecosystems. During the visit, he squirted pond water at journalists alongside schoolchildren, declaring it "the best day of my life — great fun," Hello! reported.
According to his office at Kensington Palace, NatureMetrics uses its unique technology to revolutionize the scale and accessibility of nature data collection through environmental DNA (eDNA), helping commercial and conservation organizations make more informed choices to better protect and maintain biodiverse ecosystems. Can't get enough of PEOPLE's Royals coverage? Sign up for our free Royals newsletter to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more! Earthshot says that since it was set up, the Prize has handed out more than $25 million in cash awards to help those companies and projects scale their solutions, identified more than 5,300 emerging environmental innovations from 141 countries and supported 60 innovators through its Fellowship Programme. Read the original article on People.
