“The next 10 years are critical—time is of the essence”: Why Prince William is launching a £50m award to help tackle the climate crisis

What can we do to help repair our planet? That’s the question that Prince William had in mind when he decided to create a new global climate award—the Earthshot Prize—to give recognition to those working to solve some of the world’s most pressing environmental issues. 

Launching officially on October 8, the £50m initiative will see five £1m awards handed out every year over the course of the next decade to individuals or teams helping to tackle the climate crisis, focusing on five key areas: protecting and restoring nature, cleaning our air, reviving our oceans, building a waste-free world, and fixing our climate. 

Prince William will work with leading global figures across six continents to select the winners, including Sir David Attenborough—who recently met up with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, along with their children, for a premiere of his new Neftlix documentary, A Life On Our Planet, in the gardens of Kensington Palace. Other high-profile members of the prize council include Cate Blanchett, Shakira, Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan, former UN climate chief Christiana Figueres, and Jack Ma, co-founder of the Alibaba Group. 

“The plan is to really galvanise and bring together the best minds, the best possible solutions, to fixing and tackling some of the world’s greatest environmental challenges,” says Prince William in a film unveiling the project. “The next 10 years are a critical decade for change. Time is of the essence, which is why we believe that this very ambitious global prize is the only way forward.”

Speaking about her decision to join the royal-led initiative, Blanchett comments: “I feel extremely honoured to be a member of the Earthshot Prize council. By providing this vital platform, we hope to refocus the narrative on climate change to one of hope and action.” Shakira adds: “Your children, my children—they have to find ways to reduce carbon emissions, to repair our oceans, to clean the air. We have to lead the way and we have to do it now. I know it’s ambitious and I know there will be so many challenges along the way, but I also know there will be so many who will rise to the occasion.”

Nominations for the Earthshot Prize—inspired by former US president John F Kennedy’s Moonshot, an initiative to put the first man on the moon during the 1960s—will open on November 1. There will also be an annual global awards ceremony held in a different city each year, starting with London in autumn 2021.

Like his father Prince Charles and brother Prince Harry, the Duke has long been passionate about the environment—for example, he’s worked with conservation charities in Africa to stop the illegal wildlife trade. 

The royal recently revealed in a new ITV documentary, A Planet For Us All, how having children has made him more determined to take action on the climate crisis. “I think you realise a lot more when you become a father,” he says. “Now I’ve got George, Charlotte and now Louis, in my life—your outlook does change. And that’s why I had to do something.”  

Speaking about the urgency of tackling the climate crisis on BBC Radio 4, Prince William added: “There’s a lot of people wanting to do many good things for the environment and what they need is a bit of a catalyst, a bit of hope, a bit of positivity that we can actually fix what’s being presented [to us]. And I think that urgency with optimism really creates action.” 

Here’s hoping the Earthshot Prize will go a long way in inspiring the change we so desperately need to help save our planet.