After the resounding success of Prince William‘s inaugural Earthshot Prize, the royal says he’s now focused on expanding the committee’s hunt for innovative climate change solutions even further in order to make sure they’re promoting the best ideas possible.
The royal has already started the search for the next round of groundbreaking, award-worthy ideas, expanding the prize’s nomination network to include 300 organizations and people from around the world. From these nominees, five winners will ultimately be chosen and given $1.4 million each to execute their proposals. Both the winners and an additional ten finalists will also be given mentorships to help scale their projects, which this year tackled issues from plastic pollution to ocean degradation.
The Duke of Cambridge said in a statement, “The 2021 Winners and Finalists have set the bar incredibly high. As the nominations for 2022 open, I can’t wait to see what solutions the Prize helps to champion this coming year.” He added, “In 2022, we are determined to go further by seeking even more nominations from every corner of the world, ensuring that we spotlight and scale the very best ideas and innovations that will put our planet on a sustainable path and protect our world for generations to come.”
When announcing the initiative late last year, William called it “the most prestigious global environment prize in history” with the goal of inspiring collective action to “innovate, problem solve, and ultimately repair the planet.” In the introduction to Earthshot: How to Save our Planet, the authoritative book on this new endeavor, the royal writes, “I have seen people all over the world face what seem like insurmountable challenges yet come together with collective ambition, and a can-do-spirit, to find solutions to them. I strongly believe that change is possible, when you put your mind to it. I started thinking about what to do to change the equation to something else: urgency + optimism = action.”
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