Prince William’s thirdEarthshot Prizeawards are here!
Tuesday’s glam night in Singapore saw stars like actressCate Blanchett,Ted LassostarHannah Waddinghamand Emmy award-winning actor and producerSterling K. Brownherald thenext wave of environmentalists and businesseswho have some of the answers to the planet’s most pressing problems.
Prince William and Cat Blanchett at the Earthshot Prize ceremony in Singapore on Tuesday.Chris Jackson/Getty
Chris Jackson/Getty
It is the third iteration of the prize, which held its inaugural ceremony in London in 2021 and headed toBoston last yearfor the second prize event. For the first time, Prince William’s wife,Kate Middleton,wasn’t with him— she opted to stay at home in the U.K. to help their sonPrince George, 10, prepare for his school exams.
Hannah Waddingham at the Earthshot Awards Ceremony in Singapore on Tuesday.Chris Jackson/Getty
The awards ceremony was all about the ideas of the future following an 11-month search to find the most innovative solutions to the greatest environmental challenges facing the planet. The selection process sifted through a record of 1,100 nominations — a 20% increase.
Cate Blanchett at the Earthshot Awards Ceremony in Singapore on Tuesday.Chris Jackson/Getty
A prize of $1.2 million is given each year to winners in five categories: Clean Our Air; Protect and Restore Nature; Revive Our Oceans; Build a Waste Free World and Fix Our Climate.
Earthshot Prize Council Member Blanchett presented one of the prizes, whileLana CondorandEarthshot advocate Robert Irwinalso took turns introducing the winners.
The Earthshot for Protect and Restore Nature went toAcción Andina. Based in the Andes Mountains, in South America, it is a grassroots, community-based initiative working across the continent to protect native high Andean forest ecosystems for their invaluable benefits to nature and millions of people in the region.
Prince William with the winners of the 2023 Earthshot Prize in Singapore on Tuesday.Chris Jackson/Getty
The Revive Our Oceans prize was given toWildAid Marine Program. Based in the U.S. it is a global non-profit organization working everywhere from the Caribbean to Central America, and from Kenya to Indonesia and the Philippines. It works to scale marine enforcement to end illegal fishing and strengthen ocean conservation.
Sterling K. Brown arrives at the Earthshot Awards Ceremony in Singapore on Tuesday.Chris Jackson/Getty
For William, while he recognizes there are challenges, some of which may have “left people feeling defeated,” there is hope. He told the awards ceremony, “The light of optimism is burning bright in our Earthshot finalists. From Boomitra, S4S, and Acción Andina, to GRST and Wildaid Marine, our winners and all our finalists remind us that no matter where you are on our planet the spirit of ingenuity, and the ability to inspire change, surrounds us all.”
He thanked Singapore for hosting the ceremony and the events around it, adding it was a “great city leveraging technology and innovation to help repair and regenerate our planet.”
He has set aside ten years of Earthshot Prizes to make a difference. “I choose to believe that future generations will look back on this decade as the point at which we globally took collective action for our planet.”
Prince William with the winners of the Earthshot Prize in Singapore on Tuesday.Chris Jackson/Getty
“The moment we refused to accept the voices of denial and defeatism, and instead, became the architects of change towards a healthy and sustainable world.”
And the prince added, “We owe it to the generations that will follow us to work together both for their future, and for the future of our planet. It is my belief that we will find the courage to do so. We will find the courage because we will hold onto the most powerful motivators of all: optimism and hope.”
Robert Irwin and his girlfriend Rorie Buckey arrive at the Earthshot Prize ceremony in Singapore on Tuesday.MOHD RASFAN/AFP via Getty
MOHD RASFAN/AFP via Getty
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Earlier in the day, during what is being called an inaugural “Earthshot Week” that convenes businesses and investors with winners and finalists to help accelerate their solutions and ideas, the prince visited with the 15 finalists. There he told reporters that he was “really proud of the whole team,” especially as Earthshot had developed “from a seed of an idea to where we are three years later.”
“The whole point is to provide impact and to make change," he said. Referring to the finalists, who had gathered in Singapore, he added, “The guys and girls you’ve met are fantastic. They’re the ones at the forefront and over the next ten years we’ve got to give them support and all the help we can do so their impact is magnified greater than what they’re already doing.”
Prince William at the meeting with Earthshot Prize finalists in Singapore early on Tuesday.Earthshot
Earthshot
On Monday, William attended the first United for Wildlife Global Summit, which brought together global leaders from conservation, law enforcement, government and the private sector to exchange the latest ideas and learnings in combatting the illegal wildlife trade.
Prince William and the Earthshot Prize finalists in Singapore early on Tuesday.Chris Jackson/Getty
Before they left Britain, Earthshot Prize CEO, Hannah Jones, said one reason Singapore had been chosen for the location because it “is at the heart of climate action movement in Southeast Asia. The country exemplifies how to leverage technology, capital and human ingenuity to work collaboratively to solve the toughest environmental challenges.”
source: people.com
