Overview

• In a video message, Prince William announced the 2025 cohort of 15 finalists and confirmed he will travel to Brazil for the Nov. 5 awards in Rio de Janeiro.
• Five winners, one in each category, will receive £1 million to scale solutions in Revive Our Oceans, Fix Our Climate, Build a Waste‑Free World, Protect and Restore Nature, and Clean Our Air.
• This year’s shortlist was selected from roughly 2,500 nominations across 72 countries, marking the initiative’s midpoint on its 2020–2030 timeline.
• Highlighted finalists include the UK’s Matter for microplastic‑catching washing machine filters, US‑based Form Energy’s iron‑air batteries, Barbados’s Bridgetown Initiative, Lagos Fashion Week’s sustainability standards, and China’s ATRenew for e‑waste.
• Organizers timed the fifth awards to coincide with COP30, and they report prior finalists have protected or restored over 1 million km², prevented 250,000 tonnes of waste, and reduced or captured more than 4.8 million tonnes of CO₂.