Tonight saw the first Earthshot Prize Awards take place at Alexandra Palace in north London. The green carpet was rolled out for The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, a host of celebrity guests and the nominees, to recognise the work that has gone into climate solutions.
Prince William and Kate arrived, with the Duchess wearing a gown she first debuted in 2011 on her first royal tour, in LA. The Duke chose a green velvet blazer – an appropriate nod to the evening and its focus.
Prince William and Kate, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, arriving at the Earthshot Prize Awards Ceremony, held at Alexandra Palace.
Guests were asked by organisers to ‘consider the environment when choosing their outfit’ for the awards ceremony. Emma Watson’s look came from ‘an upscaled wedding dress’ made from 10 dresses from Oxfam, the Express reports.
Additionally, no stars have flown to London for the event, and electric cars were spotted outside.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in the audience at the Earthshot Prize (BBC Studios/James Watkins)
The award itself was revealed earlier today, and is a medal inspired by the photograph of the Earth from the Crescent moon, as taken on Apollo 8 in 1968. It is supposed to reflect the beauty and fragility of our planet.
Stars that also attended the event included Ed Sheeran, Emma Thompson, Coldplay, Emma Watson, Mo Salah, Matthew Pinsent, and KSI. Performances were given and some of these famous faces handed out awards themselves.
The show was hosted by Dermot O’Leary and Clara Amfo.
The official Earthshot Prize medal has been revealed! ?
The medal is inspired by the photograph of the Earth from the Crescent moon, aboard Apollo 8 in 1968.
The medal reflects the beauty and fragility of our incredible planet.
? Earthshot Prize pic.twitter.com/3Umn3KcRSz
— The Crown Chronicles (@crownchronicles) October 17, 2021
The Duke of Cambridge launched the Earthshot Prize in 2019; it is ‘an ambitious set of challenges to inspire a decade of action to repair the planet’, giving a decade to turn the tide of global warming. The prize was launched in collaboration with the couple’s Royal Foundation and has welcomed entries from across the globe to find innovative solutions to the problem.
The Earthshot Prize: Repairing Our Planet. Prince William, Duke of Cambridge (BBC Studios/James Watkins)
The Earthshot Prize was spearheaded by Prince William, The Duke of Cambridge (BBC Studios/James Watkins)
Catherine, The Duchess of Cambridge presents one of the Eartshot Prizes (BBC Studios/James Watkins)
Earlier today, Prince Charles shared support for his son’s initiative, saying he was ‘very proud’.
The winners of the prize for the five categories were:
- PROTECT & RESTORE NATURE – THE NATION OF COSTA RICA – for their successful, government reforestation programme
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CLEAN OUR AIR WINNER – TAKACHAR, FROM INDIA – their cheap, small-scale, portable technology attaches to tractors in remote farms, and converts crop residues into sellable bio-products like fuel and fertiliser
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REVIVE OUR OCEANS: CORAL VITA, FROM THE BAHAMAS – the team grows coral on land to replant in oceans
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BUILD A WASTE-FREE WORLD: THE CITY OF MILAN FOOD WASTE HUBS, FROM ITALY – these hubs recover food mainly from supermarkets and companies’ canteens and give it to NGOs who distribute it to the neediest citizens
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FIX OUR CLIMATE: AEM ELECTROLYSER, FROM THAILAND / GERMANY / ITALY – their technology turns renewable electricity into emission-free hydrogen gas much more quickly and cheaply than thought possible. This can then be used as fuel
Each of the five winners will receive £1 million prize money and a global network of professional and technical support to scale their remarkable environmental solutions to repair our planet and accelerate their impact.
“I am very proud of my son, William, for his growing commitment to the environment and the bold ambition of the Earthshot Prize. As a world, we need to come together to inspire, reimagine and build the sustainable future we so desperately need.”
– HRH The Prince of Wales pic.twitter.com/RYMZI9ES8g
— The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall (@ClarenceHouse) October 17, 2021
