Prince William has announced the next location to host his annual Earthshot Prize Awards later this year and said there is “fresh momentum for new ideas” as the awards enter its fifth year
Prince William has revealed the next location for this Earthshot Prize Awards that aims to create “safer ways to live our lives”. The environmental awards, set up by the Prince of Wales, will be staged in Brazil later this year, and will come in the same month the country is hosting the Cop30 UN climate change summit.
The prince’s attendance at the Earthshot Prize Awards in Rio de Janeiro in November is expected to be confirmed nearer the time. But if the visit coincides with the gathering of world leaders for the UN event the future king could be among them. To mark the announcement, William said: “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. “It is an honour to profile the people making our world a better place for us and for our children.”
A video will be released to mark the announcement of the venue location, featuring the prince and a host of Earthshot supporters, including council members Cate Blanchett, global ambassador Robert Irwin, son of conservationist and TV personality Steve Irwin, and David Beckham, Hannah Waddingham and Heidi Klum, alongside former Brazilian footballers Cafu and Mauro Silva.
William is the driving force behind the annual environmental competition and has attended all the presentation events since launching the initiative. Cape Town staged the most recent awards ceremony last November after prize-giving events were held in Singapore in 2023, Boston in 2022 and London’s Alexandra Palace in 2021.
The prince founded the prize to recognise and scale up ideas to help ‘repair’ the planet, with the five winning finalists each awarded £1 million to further develop their ideas. Awards are presented in five categories or Earthshots – Protect and restore nature; Clean our air, Revive our oceans; Build a waste-free world; and Fix our climate.
The Prince has spoken previously about wanting to take his environmental awards to every corner of the planet. William, 42, has previously told of his vision to engage countries such as China and India – two of the world’s biggest polluters – as well as the possibility of finding a host country in South America.
Following the success of the Earthshot Prize in Cape Town last year, a source close to the Prince of Wales said: “His commitment to restoring the future of the planet is unwavering and the Prince is determined to do all he can to use his platform to spread urgent optimism. Next year, the Climate COP will take place in Brazil and it’s set to be hugely consequential. The Prince of Wales is looking forward to playing a role there.”
It would be the first time the future King has visited the COP event outside of the UK, having appeared alongside the King and the Princess of Wales at the gathering in Glasgow in 2021.
The late Queen Elizabeth II addressed the assembled delegates via a recorded message as part of the reception. William and Kate, then the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, took part in a number of events over the first days of the COP26 conference in Glasgow, highlighting both the urgent need for action and the individuals and groups who are already working towards a brighter future for our planet.
