Key facts
- Prince William called for more businesses, investors, and leaders to support and scale climate solutions.
- The Earthshot Prize finalists were selected from nearly 7,000 nominations across 169 countries.
- Finalists include Barcelona for coastal protection, Bhutan for environmental integration into its constitution, Indigenous ranger teams in Australia, and an Argentinian AI wildfire detection platform.
- Two finalists from India are Mahindra Last Mile Mobility (electric three-wheelers) and Mahila Housing Trust (climate resilience for low-income women).
- Five winners will each receive £1 million to expand their projects.
Prince William, the Prince of Wales, has urged for a faster and more urgent global response to climate challenges, calling on businesses, investors, and leaders to actively support and scale up effective environmental solutions. His remarks were made in an exclusive interview with the BBC.
William's warning comes as the nominees for the 2026 Earthshot Prize, an environmental award he established six years ago, were announced. The prize aims to identify and support innovative solutions to the world's greatest environmental problems.
Among the 15 finalists are the city of Barcelona, recognized for its efforts in climate adaptation and coastal protection, and the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan, lauded for integrating environmental protection into its national constitution and safeguarding regional water security. Other finalists include Indigenous ranger teams in Australia and an Argentinian platform using artificial intelligence for wildfire detection.
India will host this year's Earthshot Prize ceremony in Mumbai in November. Two Indian finalists are Mahindra Last Mile Mobility, a producer of electric three-wheelers, and the Mahila Housing Trust, which focuses on climate resilience for low-income women. The finalists were chosen from nearly 7,000 nominations submitted globally.
Five winners, one from each of the prize's categories—protect and restore nature, revive our oceans, clean our air, build a waste-free world, and fix our climate—will be announced at the ceremony. Each winner will receive £1 million to help expand their projects. The Earthshot Prize Council, which selects the winners, includes Prince William, Queen Rania al-Abdullah of Jordan, actress Cate Blanchett, and chef José Andrés.