Overview

• The 2025 cohort spans the five Earthshot categories, with three contenders in each addressing oceans, climate, waste, nature, and clean air.
• Five winners will be named in Rio de Janeiro on 5 November, with one per category receiving £1 million to scale their solutions.
• William announced the list in a video message, calling the prize’s “urgent optimism” unstoppable and confirming he will travel to Brazil.
• Organisers say the finalists were reviewed by selection partners and an Expert Advisory Panel of more than 100 specialists after nominations from about 72 countries.
• Finalists include UK-based microplastic filter maker Matter, Form Energy’s iron‑air batteries, Lagos Fashion Week’s sustainability rules, Barbados’s Bridgetown Initiative, and Sydney’s upcycled Quay Quarter Tower, as the awards coincide with COP30 and the programme reaches its 2030 halfway point.