The Earthshot Prize

The Earthshot Prize 2022: What Is The Earthshot Prize & Who Won?

The Earthshot Prize is awarded annually to five lucky winners, and is a recognition of individuals who have the most ambitious goals for fixing the biggest environmental problems. Read our guide below to discover more about the Earthshot Prize, and who won!

“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

What is The Earthshot Prize?

The Earthshot Prize was first awarded in 2021, and is planned to run annually until 2030. Over the past ten years, we have faced increased urgency in relation to protecting the environment, and in response, Prince William and The Royal Foundation launched The Earthshot Prize. The most prestigious environmental global prize in history, The Earthshot Prize was created to not only reward the environment’s biggest activists, but to turn the current pessimism regarding the environment into optimism.

The Earthshot Prize was also created to encourage a decade of action that will assemble a variety of funders, businesses and individuals who will maximise the impact on climate change and protecting the environment. In a critical decade for Earth, the Earthshot Prize is an incentive for crucial change.

The Earthshot Prize ceremonies will take place in different countries across the next decade, from 2021 to 2030, with five winners crowned at each ceremony. Selected from 15 finalists, these five winners will be awarded the prestigious title, created by HRH Prince William.

Source: Royal Foundation

What is The Earthshot Prize Hoping to Achieve?

The Earthshot Prize is looking to achieve the following ‘Earthshots’ by 2030:

  • Protect and Restore Nature
  • Clean Our Air
  • Revive Our Oceans
  • Build a Waste-Free World
  • Fix Our Climate

Source: The Earthshot Prize

How Does The Earthshot Prize Work?

The Earthshot Prize is decided via a rigorous and fair approach, in which officials search, select, accelerate, award and scale the most innovative solutions that will both repair and regenerate planet Earth. Nurturing eco-innovators and their impact, The Earthshot Prize scours the globe for solutions to the Earth’s biggest challenges.

  1. Search – In this stage, The Earthshot Prize launches a search for innovative solutions to their five Earthshots. Working with their global network of 349 nominators across 66 countries worldwide, the nominees are selected.
  2. Select – In this stage, priority areas of interest are identified and The Roadmap to Regeneration is used to guide key selection priorities. Developed by the expert counsel, the crucial tipping points determine who will drive the positive change needed to achieve The Earthshot Prize’s 2030 goals.
  3. Accelerate – In this stage, The Earthshot Prize aims to help solutions that have maximum impact on the environment. Their support extends past the awards ceremony, having launched the Earthshot Fellowship programme in 2022.
  4. Award – After the nominations and selections have been completed, an awards ceremony is hosted in which the winners of The Earthshot Prize are announced.
  5. Scale – When The Earthshot Prize winners are announced, The Earthshot Prize aims to connect the winners with solutions for investment and mentorship that will scale their initiatives. They then match the winners with their Global Alliance, which are international organisations with a passion for the environment and sustainability.

Source: The Earthshot Prize

Who Is On The Earthshot Prize Council?

  • Prince William
  • Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah
  • Cate Blanchett
  • Christiana Figueres
  • Daniel Alves Da Silva
  • Sir David Attenborough
  • Ernest Gibson
  • Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim
  • Indra Nooyi
  • Jack Ma
  • Luisa Neubauer
  • Naoko Yamazaki
  • Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala
  • Shakira
  • Yao Ming

Who Won The Earthshot Prize 2022?

After careful selection, the following people were crowned the winners of The Earthshot Prize 2022.

Kheyti – Kaushik Kappagantulu

Earthshot: Protect and Restore Nature

Country: India

What?: A greenhouse-in-a-box helping to reduce climate risk and increase yields.

Kaushik Kappagantulu

“We are honoured to be recognised by The Earthshot Prize this year. The world depends on its small-hold farmers and yet their lives are amongst the hardest on earth. Our greenhouse-in-a-box is empowering farmers in India today. The steps we have already taken at Kheyti are now building to change farmers’ lives at scale.”Kaushik Kappagantulu, Co-Founder & CEO, Kheyti

Kheyti is an Indian company, co-founded by CEO Kaushik Kappagantulu. In response to the challenges imposed on farming due to climate change, Kaushik developed Kheyti for small-hold farmers to offer their crops shelter from elements and destructive pests.

This product was selected as a winner of The Earthshot Prize for its impact on the planet. Plants housed in the Kheyti greenhouse require 98% less water than plants that are grown outside, and the yield of the plants is 7x times higher.

By 2027, Kheyti aims to provide 50,000 farmers with their greenhouse-in-a-box.

Mukuru Clean Stoves – Charlot Magayi

Earthshot: Clean Our Air

Country: Kenya

What?: Cooking stoves that use processed biomass made from charcoal, wood and sugarcane.

Charlot Magayi

“Mukuru Clean Stoves began as a solution to a problem that I had felt personally in my own life. Today, we have an opportunity to transform the lives of millions, with cheaper, safer and more sustainable cookstoves and fuels. It is a privilege to be recognised by The Earthshot Prize as we embark on the next step in our journey.”Charlot Magayi, Founder & CEO, Mukuru Clean Stoves

In 2017, Charlot Magayi founded Mukuru Clean Stoves to reduce the harmful chemicals emitted into the atmosphere. Growing up in Mukuru, Charlot lived in one of Nairobi’s biggest slums, where people used charcoal for cooking. Many people fell ill due to the use of charcoal, and Charlot’s daughter fell victim to severe burns from charcoal, which inspired her to create Mukuru Clean Stoves.

Generating 90% less pollution than an open fire and 70% less than a traditional stove, Charlot’s clean stoves have revolutionised lives in Mukuru and afar. Also cheaper, costing only $10, Charlot’s invention captured the attention of The Earthshot Prize and saw her crowned winner in 2022.

Charlot’s visions for her company include reaching one million customers in three years’ time and ten million in ten years’ time. She also hopes to eventually create a stove that burns ethanol, an even cleaner solution than the one she has already provided.

Indigenous Women of the Great Barrier Reef – Larissa Hale

Earthshot: Revive Our Oceans

Country: Australia

What?: A programme training women to become rangers, to preserve the Great Barrier Reef.

Larissa Hale

“The place has always been our home, but today we risk losing it and the unique culture that has existed here for millennia. Our Women Rangers Network exists to protect our home and continue our traditions. We have made big first steps, but we have a long way still to go. Thank you to The Earthshot Prize for supporting us.”Larissa Hale, Managing Director, Indigenous Women of the Great Barrier Reef

The Great Barrier Reef, located in the Coral Sea of Queensland, is constantly under threat from global warming and regular bushfires. The indigenous rangers of the region have expertly defended the reef from environmental damage, passing their knowledge from generation to generation. In Queensland only 20% of indigenous rangers are women, and the Queensland Indigenous Women Rangers Network are on a mission to change that statistic.

The network has trained over 60 women, encouraging new conservation approaches and critical insight into the most important ecosystems across the planet. They are passionate about protecting significant locations, such as those with cultural or spiritual significance.

With the help of The Earthshot Prize, Managing Director Larissa Hale hopes to reach many other locations – from Nepal to Tanzania and Hawaii.

Notpla – Pierre Paslier

Earthshot: Build A Waste-Free World

Country: United Kingdom

What?: An alternative to plastic made from seaweed and plants.

Pierre Paslier

“Fourteen million tonnes of plastic enter our oceans each year. We founded Notpla when we discovered the solution lies in our oceans too. We are already replacing plastic that plagues our seas, and working with seaweed farms that give back to the environment and the local economy. Thank you for recognising us as we take our next big step and eliminate single-use plastic for good!”Pierre Paslier, Co-Founder & CEO, Notpla

Only 9% of all plastic produced is recycled and only 12% is incinerated, the rest of the plastic on the planet is often sent to landfills or unfortunately dumped into the sea. In response to this, Pierre Paslier co-founded Notpla, a sustainable alternative to plastic that is created using seaweed and plants. Both natural and completely biodegradable, Notpla is revolutionising packing – with everything from packaging for the cosmetic and fashion industries to bubbles that hold liquid and coating for food containers. With the global awareness of plastic packaging problems reaching a new record, Notpla is spearheading the plastic alternative revolution.

Some of Notpla’s biggest achievements include making over one million takeaway boxes for Just Eat and making 36000 Oohos filled with Lucozade for the London Marathon. Notpla has the potential to replace over 100 million plastic containers in Europe, and is also helping to capture carbon 20x faster than trees and boosts the fish population.

With the help of The Earthshot Prize, Notpla one day hopes to replace single-use plastic packing on a global scale.

44.01 – Talal Hasan

Earthshot: Fix Our Climate

Country: Oman

What?: Permanently removes CO2 from the atmosphere by mineralising it into rocks.

Talal Hasan

“The answers to the problems our planet faces can often be found in the natural world. At 44.01, we have found a natural process that removes carbon and we’ve accelerated it. We believe this process is replicable globally and can play a key role in helping our planet to heal. Thank you to The Earthshot Prize.”Talal Hasan, Founder & Carbon General, 44.01

Many companies have made advances in capturing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, but few are as developed as 44.01. Named after the molecular weight of carbon dioxide, 44.01 has developed a way of capturing CO2 as a mineral in peridotite. This process happens in nature, but 44.01 have discovered a way in which they can accelerate the process, pumping carbonated water deep underground into seams of peridotite.

The mineralisation of CO2 removes CO2 from the atmosphere forever, meaning that with 44.01’s method there is no long-term monitoring or insurance required. 44.01 is also working to provide engineers and geologists with new employment, who currently work in the fossil fuel industry.

With the help of The Earthshot Prize, 44.01 and its Founder Talal Hasan hope to expand its operations internationally and have mineralised 1bn tonnes of CO2 by the year 2040.

Interested In Tackling Climate Change & Environmental Damage Personally?

If you are interested in playing your part to protect the planet, why not hire one of our sustainability and environment speakers to learn more about climate change and environmental advocacy today? Contact one of our dedicated booking agents on 0203 9355 587 or by completing our online contact form.

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