Prince William awards £1million Earthshot Prizes, saying 'Progress is possible'

Prince William went on to praise the environmental trailblazers from Brazil, Colombia, Nigeria, Bangladesh and a global ocean project, who were awarded with £1million at 2025’s Earthshot Prize in Rio de Janeiro.

Each award celebrates an advanced solution, with each idea targeting a critical environmental challenge: from restoring nature and cleaning the air, to reviving oceans, cutting waste and tackling climate change.

The winners ranged from Brazil’s re.green, recognised for restoring nature, to Bogotá’s air quality initiative, the global High Seas Treaty, Lagos Fashion Week’s waste-free mission, and Bangladesh’s Friendship climate project.

This year's winners:

- Protect and Restore Nature: re.green, Brazil

- Clean Our Air: The city of Bogotá, Colombia

- Revive Our Oceans: The High Seas Treaty (Global)

- Build a Waste-Free World: Lagos Fashion Week, Nigeria

- Fix Our Climate: Friendship, Bangladesh

The awards came after an intensive review of almost 2,500 nominations submitted from 72 different countries across the globe.

Adding to the star-studded event's glamour, Brazilian host Luciano Huck led the event, with Anitta and Kylie Minogue delivering thrilling performances.

The ceremony also featured a heartfelt speech from the Prince of Wales, who created the Earthshot Prize back in 2020.

"When I founded The Earthshot Prize in 2020, we had a ten-year goal; to make this the decade in which we transformed our world for the better," he said. "We set out to tackle environmental issues head on and make real, lasting changes that would protect life on Earth."

Continuing, “It was a mission driven by the kind of extraordinary optimism we have felt here tonight, from these innovators. Their work is the proof we need that progress is possible."

"Their stories are the inspiration that gives us courage. And there’s a great deal we can learn from their determination, their vision for scale, and their unyielding belief that we can create a better world.”

Earthshot Prize’s goal is clear: find solutions to make a difference through innovative projects and back those groundbreaking environmental solutions until they can positively impact the planet within a decade.