The Earthshot Prize
The Earthshot Prize was launched by Prince William and The Royal Foundation in October 2020 to discover and help grow innovative solutions to repair and regenerate the planet.
15 finalists every year for 10 years receive support to accelerate their ideas and scale their innovations. Of those, 5 finalists each year receive a £1 million Earthshot Prize.
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- How it works
- Prize criteria
- Register your interest
- Previous Earthshot Prize winners
Urgency + Optimism = Action
Inspired by President John F. Kennedy’s 'Moonshot' challenge in 1962 to land a man on the moon within a decade, The Earthshot Prize was launched by Prince William in 2020 to search for and scale the most innovative solutions to the world’s greatest environmental challenges.
Change is not yet happening fast enough or at the scale we need. Levels of climate anxiety and despondency are high and political interventions are happening too slowly. Despite all these challenges, genuine pathways to an era of regeneration and abundance do exist.
We want to unleash the urgent optimism required to accelerate and scale the environmental innovations that will repair and regenerate our planet.
Each year, The Earthshot Prize searches the globe for game-changing solutions to their Earthshots, or categories:
- Protect and Restore Nature
- Revive our Oceans
- Clean our Air
- Build a Waste-Free World
- Fix our Climate
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To repair our planet, we know that change needs to happen quickly and at scale. Finding and growing the solutions that will have transformative impacts is central to our mission.
Regenerating and repairing the planet while creating equitable and sustainable livelihoods is the largest transformation that our civilisation might ever go through. It requires system changes touching every level of society – political, economic, financial, cultural, legal. The Earthshot Prize selection criteria and priorities are their transparent roadmap to trying to make a difference in this decisive decade.
Here is what they are looking for:
Every nomination submitted must meet these basic requirements:
- The solution makes progress towards at least one of the 5 Earthshots
- The solution is beyond idea/concept stage with demonstrated environmental impact to date.
There are three areas of interest for each Earthshot that are prioritised.
These areas have been identified through expert consultation as areas of high opportunity and urgency. However, you are welcome to also nominate solutions outside of these focus areas too.
Protect and Restore Nature
- Protecting areas of high biodiversity such as forests, wetland, peatlands and wildlife corridors
- Restoring damaged ecosystems
- Feeding people while protecting nature
Clean our Air
- Engaging citizens in data collection and clean air policies
- Preventing the burning of fields, forests and waste
- Transitioning to clean transportation for all
Revive our Oceans
- Protecting and restoring coastal ecosystems
- Replenishing fish populations
- Reducing demand for fishmeal
Build a Waste-free World
- Reducing food loss from farm to fork
- Phasing out single-use and non-recycled plastics
- High-value circularity in fashion and electronics
Fix our Climate
- Creating an equitable clean energy future
- Addressing non-CO₂ greenhouse gas emissions
- Decarbonising hard-to-abate sectors
This is not mandatory criteria, but a good indication of what a strong nomination looks like. An nomination that relates to an are of interest and an enabler is more likely to progress further in screening and selection process.
The "cross-cutting enablers" are identified approaches and tools that can accelerate the environmental improvements without being specific to any single Earthshot.
When adopted by innovators and their supporters, they could rapidly accelerate their growth and impact.
They are focused on:
- Use of technology, AI or data to enable transformation
- Nature and carbon markets, novel financial mechanisms and essential legal solutions
- Those informed by indigenous and local communities
- Promotion of shared economic opportunity
- Enabling policy change – working with governments, organisations and companies
This is not mandatory criteria, but a good indication of what a strong nomination looks like. An nomination that relates to an are of interest and an enabler is more likely to progress further in screening and selection process.
Earthshot has outlined 4 common filters against which they will assess nominations and select their ultimate winners.
These filters help to assess the solution's quality as well as suitability for The Earthshot Prize and whether they are the right fit for the support offered.
Filter 01 - Potential for global impact
Finalists will have the potential to be relevant on a global level by 2030.
They must clearly articulate their impact to date, and their potential to make a difference in the future based on one or more of our shortlisted environmental and social metrics.
Filter 02 - Diversity of solution types
Solutions are accepted from any country or sector in the world. It is through a diversity of solutions that new opportunities or connections are identified.
Nominees could be a not-for-profit or for-profit organisation, a local or national Government, a partnership, or a team. A particular emphasis is placed on geographic representation, gender, and indigenous representation and Earthshot actively source innovations from these communities.
Filter 03 - Stage of solution
Finalists will have solutions that can be scaled or replicated quickly through financial, communications or organisational support.
Solutions will be well developed beyond the idea stage.
They will have made significant progress with their solution and need support to be scaled beyond financial support alone.
Filter 04 - Organisational foundations
Finalists will encounter many opportunities to scale their solution and inspire replication through the Earthshot Prize so solutions are sought that are mature enough to maximise the support they receive.
This is judged based on the foundations they already have in place. Accounting for the quality of the leadership team, their commitment to inclusion and their organisational maturity.
Each nomination does not need to align with every filter, but it is a helpful indicator of how Finalists are selected.
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If you'd like to register your interest in submitting a project for nomination for The Earthshot Prize, please complete the form below.
Please note, this form is not the nomination form, but a registration of interest.
Your submission will be sent through a relevant Rotary member who will then be in touch to discuss your project and application further.
Registration of interest form
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Below is a list of projects that have been successfully nominated for The Earthshot Prize by ESRAG, the Environmental Sustainability Rotary Action Group, who have been an official nominator.
2025
Actosol® Carbon Farming – ARCTECH Inc.
Actosol boosts photosynthesis, root growth and soil microbes, storing carbon as humus while raising crop yields by over 20%. Used on 10,000 Indian farms, it increased organic matter by 0.5%, with deployments in the USA, China and Middle East.
EGERLOO – Egerton University
EGERLOO provides safer, waterless sanitation for water-stressed urban communities affected by unsafe pit latrines. Its above- or below-ground, sit-or-squat design uses shallow short-term storage, prevents waste contact, smells, vermin and collapse, and supports centralised treatment and resource recovery.
Food for ALL – Center for Sustainable Agricultural Excellence and Conservation
Food for ALL combines closed-loop recirculating and regenerative agriculture to cut water use by up to 90%, eliminate runoff and restore soils. Farms produce within 45 days; the largest saves 1.5 billion gallons annually while creating leadership and employment opportunities for women and girls.
FoodCloud Kenya – Foodcloud Mega
FoodCloud Kenya connects surplus-food donors with charities, benefiting over 200,000 people and partnering with more than 300 supermarkets, restaurants and farms. Its network reduces waste and landfill emissions, strengthens community services and encourages sustainable food donation.
The Hyperproductive Carbon Farm Project – XEN Farms
XEN Farms transforms degraded land into fertile, bioremediated carbon farms with improved soil carbon, water infiltration, moisture retention, nutrients and microbial activity. Designed for India’s 100 million smallholders, the approach produces climate-resilient crops and can increase yields by up to 100%.
Mangrove Restoration – Kilifi Climate Change Governance Platform
This community-led Kilifi initiative restores mangroves to reduce erosion, flooding and carbon loss while rebuilding marine habitats and fish stocks. Education, local incentives, jobs, drone monitoring and data analytics support long-term conservation, carbon tracking and stronger coastal livelihoods.
Plastic Waste Management – Kachare se Azadi Foundation
The foundation works directly with villagers to create clean, green, plastic-free communities. Recycled waste becomes sustainable products that generate local income, while the proven, scalable model improves village waste management and delivers a measurable reduction in carbon dioxide emissions.
Reducing Food Waste with Solar Drying Innovation – Desiccated Sweetness Ltd
Solar drying cuts participating Kenyan farmers’ post-harvest losses by 70% and raises household incomes by 40–50%. Working with over 1,000 farmers, the initiative has created 20-plus jobs, reached 5,000 customers and converts organic residues into animal feed.
Rocket Composter – Concept Biotech
Rocket Composter rapidly converts segregated food scraps into nutrient-rich compost, diverting waste from landfill and reducing methane emissions, pollution and disposal costs. The system improves resource recovery and enables households and businesses to adopt faster, more responsible waste-management practices.
Solution for Sustainable Toilet Flooring – Kavalian Limited
Kavalian develops durable, hygienic and sustainable toilet flooring that addresses moisture damage, staining, bacteria and mould while reusing waste. In Kenya, where Nairobi generates over 2,500 tonnes of waste daily, the approach also supports safer livelihoods and sustainable-construction education.
TakaPoints
TakaPoints rewards recycling through an accessible USSD platform and smart bins. During prototyping, more than 200 people participated and redeemed points for airtime, while 500 kilograms of plastic were collected, supporting cleaner communities, awareness and potential income for waste collectors.
Viva la Mariposa Monarca! – Wyandot Nation of Kansas
Responding to a 40% pollinator decline over 50 years, this initiative restores milkweed, oyamel fir and nectar habitats across Canada, the United States and Mexico. Indigenous participation and multinational partnerships underpin a proven, replicable model ready for wider scaling.
Watershed Institute Initiative – Lewis Bay Research Center, Inc.
The initiative integrates net-zero ecosystem technologies, shared learning and community development instead of fragmented interventions. Deployments across several regions have helped thousands of people save millions of gallons of wastewater and eliminate millions of tonnes of water and air pollution.
Watts of Love
Watts of Love provides free, UL-certified solar lights alongside financial-literacy training to families experiencing energy poverty. Locally tailored partnerships, inclusive leadership and durable lights tested for up to ten years help vulnerable households save money and build lasting economic resilience.
Kiberndasky Organics – Kiberndasky Enterprises Ltd
This women-led enterprise uses black soldier flies to convert organic waste into protein-rich animal feed and organic fertiliser. Addressing Nairobi’s 1,000 tonnes of daily organic waste, it has created scores of direct jobs, around 100 indirect roles and trained dozens of farmers.
Project Ngiri – Baraton University Biology Club
Project Ngiri replaces petroleum-based single-use wrappers with lower-cost maize-starch bioplastic. The tested, scalable solution reduces persistent plastic and air pollution, promotes behaviour change and decomposes to add calcium to soil, with the potential to improve agricultural yields.
2024
XEN Farms
XEN Farms’ Carbosutra is a nano-carbon-based liquid fermented manure designed to detoxify and restore degraded soil within 30–90 days. Applied in small doses, it improves soil carbon, water retention, nutrient availability and microbial activity without the initial yield reduction often associated with organic farming.
Solar sterilisation removes harmful pathogens, supporting healthier plants and greater biodiversity. The project reports crop-yield increases of up to 100%, alongside improved produce quality. By reducing reliance on synthetic fertilisers and pesticides, it also aims to cut non-CO₂ emissions and make regenerative farming more affordable, scalable and profitable.
Bliss Natural
Bliss Natural aims to reduce the volume of single-use plastic menstrual products discarded worldwide. It manufactures plant-based, degradable sanitary pads using kenaf, a sustainable fibre valued for its absorbency and antimicrobial properties.
The company claims to be the first globally to make kenaf pads and describes them as India’s first bio-based certified pads produced in an FDA-registered facility. Made through chemical-free, plastic-free processes, the pads are designed to degrade within 6–12 months and generate fewer carbon emissions than conventional plastic pads, combining menstrual hygiene with lower waste and environmental impact.
Harvest Wild
Harvest Wild tackles air pollution from burning agricultural and forestry waste by converting it into valuable bio-surfactants and microbial oil using selected microbial strains. The bio-surfactants can replace petroleum-based detergent ingredients and reportedly biodegrade 20 times faster in wastewater, while enabling wash water to be reused for toilet flushing.
Its microbial oil offers an alternative to palm oil without associated deforestation and biodiversity loss. The team has demonstrated the technology through BubbleNut Wash home cleaners, with its water-reuse model intended to save thousands of litres of freshwater each day.
Net Zero Machine
The Net Zero Machine captures carbon dioxide and air pollutants from stationary combustion sources, including diesel generators, incinerators and industrial boilers. A caustic reagent absorbs gaseous emissions into liquid, after which a solid reagent restores the caustic solution and precipitates the captured gases as solid sludge.
An agitator supports this process, while onboard diagnostics monitor pH, solids and temperature to reduce manual intervention. The system captures carbon monoxide and sulphur oxides as well as CO₂. Its non-toxic by-products can be used as aggregates or concrete fillers, turning emissions into useful construction materials.
Cape Cod
Cape Cod is developing an integrated net-zero water and energy platform, using microgrid connections to coordinate sustainable buildings and infrastructure. Its pipeline of projects aims to provide communities with energy, water, food and housing through one connected model.
The first application is a Net-Zero EcoCampus supporting experiential learning, advanced STEM education and workforce training. Combining community infrastructure, regenerative urban agriculture, agrivoltaics and regenerative water systems, the platform seeks to overcome industry silos, improve resource efficiency and support ocean and watershed protection through a replicable model for sustainable communities.
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