Prince William Reveals Earthshot Prize 2025 Laureates at Rio Ceremony

Post by : Raina Nasser

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – November 6, 2025: The Earthshot Prize 2025 laureates were declared at a high-profile ceremony in Rio de Janeiro, spotlighting international initiatives designed to confront environmental decline. Launched by Prince William in 2020, the Earthshot programme awards £1 million per winner to scale solutions intended to repair ecosystems and reduce climate risk.

Prince William, who leads the prize, commended the selected projects as tangible examples of progress and practical innovation. The event at the Museum of Tomorrow drew a wide range of public figures, including football great Cafu, gymnast Rebeca Andrade, former F1 driver Sebastian Vettel, and performers Kylie Minogue and Shawn Mendes. Senior UK politicians on hand included Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, Energy Secretary Ed Miliband, and London Mayor Sadiq Khan.

Earthshot Prize 2025 Laureates:

• Protect and Restore Nature: re.green (Brazil) focuses on safeguarding the Atlantic Forest while creating sustainable financing mechanisms to support long‑term conservation.

• Clean Our Air: Bogotá, Colombia, was recognised for city-level policy measures, such as clean air zones and urban re-greening, that have produced measurable improvements in air quality.

• Revive Our Oceans: The High Seas Treaty, an international agreement due to take effect in January 2026, will establish frameworks to protect marine biodiversity and improve transnational ocean governance.

• Build a Waste-Free World: Lagos Fashion Week (Nigeria) has redefined industry standards by requiring designers to adopt circular and low-waste practices, helping reduce fashion-sector waste streams.

• Fix Our Climate: Friendship (Bangladesh) concentrates on strengthening resilience for vulnerable communities by improving access to healthcare, education, and disaster preparedness to lessen climate impacts.

Thiago Picolo, re.green's CEO, said the award provides vital validation and will bolster talks with banks, corporations and investors. Prince William highlighted the role of ambition and optimism in scaling solutions that can deliver measurable environmental benefits.

Christiana Figueres, chair of the Earthshot Prize board, framed the winners as contributors to a growing international legacy, noting their 2030 targets as evidence of mounting collective ambition.

On a five-day visit to Brazil, Prince William also saw the Christ the Redeemer statue, echoing a visit by his late mother, Princess Diana, and inspected conservation efforts at Paquetá Island, including mangrove protection and reforestation work. He is scheduled to continue his environmental advocacy at COP30 in Belém later this week.

The 2025 awards underline the need for global cooperation to address urgent environmental threats: from rainforest restoration and cleaner air to ocean protection and community climate resilience, the recognised projects offer replicable approaches to repairing the planet.