Prince William's $65M Prize Funds 100 Climate Solutions

A global competition launched by Prince William in 2020 is proving that optimism plus urgency really does equal action.

The Earthshot Prize awards £1 million (about $1.3 million) to five winners each year, one for each of its ambitious goals: Protect and Restore Nature, Clean our Air, Revive our Oceans, Build a Waste-Free World, and Fix our Climate. So far, 25 winners have split half of the original $65 million prize fund.

But here's what makes this different from a typical award. The Earthshot team doesn't just hand over a check and wave goodbye. They work closely with winners and finalists to help scale their solutions faster, connecting them with a global network of partners ready to help.

The results speak for themselves. The 100 finalists selected over the past six years have improved air quality for 600 million people living in regions around the world. They've protected or restored over 210 million acres of ocean and coastline, plus another 143 million acres of land, forest, and freshwater systems.

These projects have also prevented or captured nearly 20 million tons of carbon dioxide and removed or recycled more than 512,000 tons of waste.

Take Bogota, Colombia, where one project cut air pollution by 24% even as the city's population and economy grew. Or Kazakhstan's Altyn Dala Conservation Initiative, which now protects more than 12 million acres of steppe grassland, helping endangered species recover and return to their native habitat.

In India, S4S Technologies has empowered 10,000 women entrepreneurs while reaching half a million farmers and preventing 220,000 tons of agricultural waste from rotting in landfills.

The Ripple Effect

Prince William says he was inspired by his father King Charles III and naturalist Sir David Attenborough to create what's been called "the most prestigious global environment prize in history." He believes the next decade is crucial for the planet, and it's his responsibility to help provide at least 50 solutions to the world's environmental challenges.

The prize does more than celebrate innovation. It's building a movement of problem solvers who prove that climate action doesn't have to mean sacrifice or doom. These entrepreneurs are creating jobs, improving health, protecting wildlife, and building thriving communities all at once.

On Friday, the Earthshot Prize will announce its 15 finalists for 2026, adding to a growing network of changemakers who are rewriting what's possible.

The planet's biggest challenges are finally getting the solutions they deserve.