Overview

• In a video message, William urged urgent action and said 2030 "feels very real," calling this year's cohort a source of "urgent optimism."
• Five winners, one per category, will receive £1 million each to scale solutions at the Rio de Janeiro ceremony.
• Notable finalists include Matter’s microplastic-catching washing machine filters, Form Energy’s iron‑air batteries, and Sydney’s upcycled Quay Quarter Tower.
• Rio becomes the first South American host as the event coincides with COP30 in Brazil, where William is reported to play a role.
• Earthshot cites cumulative impacts from earlier cohorts, including over one million square kilometers protected or restored, more than 250,000 tonnes of waste averted, and over 4.8 million tonnes of CO₂ reduced, avoided or captured.