Prince William has urged the world to "choose the path of hope, optimism, and urgency to repair our planet," after hailing the five winners of the 2022 Earthshot Prize Awards at a glittering ceremony in Boston.
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The Prince took to the stage at the end of the star-studded event at the city’s MGM Music Hall at Fenway, after celebrities including David Beckham, Catherine O’Hara, Shailene Woodley and Rami Malek, alongside Princess Kate, presented the prestigious awards to five winners from across the globe.
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He told the audience: "When I founded this Prize in 2020, it was with the ambition to harness the same spirit of ingenuity, that inspired President John F. Kennedy to challenge the American people to put a person on the moon within a decade. So, it has been an honour to share the stories of our Earthshot winners and finalists from the heart of his hometown.
"I believe that the Earthshot solutions you have seen this evening prove we can overcome our planet's greatest challenges, and by supporting and scaling them we can change our future."
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He went on: "Alongside tonight’s winners and finalists, and those to be discovered over the years to come, it’s my hope the Earthshot legacy will continue to grow, helping our communities and our planet to thrive.
"And in the same way the space effort six decades ago created jobs, boosted economies, and provided hope, so too can the solutions borne of tonight’s Earthshot Prize winners. The decisions we make now will affect generations to come which is why we must choose the path of hope, optimism, and urgency to repair our planet."
The five 2022 Earthshot Prize winners are:
Clean Our Air: Mukuru Clean Stoves, Kenya - presented by Princess Kate
A start-up providing cleaner-burning stoves to women in Kenya to reduce unhealthy indoor pollution and provide a safer way to cook. Founder and CEO, Charlot Magayi described the award as a "great honour," adding: "The Earthshot Prize is going to help us reach 1 million households, enabling 5 million people to benefit from cleaner air."
Protect and Restore Nature: Kheyti, India - presented by Catherine O'Hara
A pioneering solution for local smallholder farmers to reduce costs, increase yields and protect livelihoods in a country on the frontlines of climate change. Co-founder and CEO Kaushik Kappagantulu said: "This is just the beginning. We aim to help a million farmers within 10 years, and this prize will help us invest in a solid foundation for that ambition."
Revive our Oceans: Indigenous Women of the Great Barrier Reef, Australia - presented by Shailene Woodley
An inspiring women-led program that combines 60,000 years of indigenous knowledge with digital technologies to protect land and sea. Queensland Indigenous Women Rangers Network Founder Larissa Hale said: "Our planet needs us, and it isn’t too late. The message of Earthshot is that with hope and action, we can feel hopeful for the future of our planet."
Build a Waste-free World: Notpla, United Kingdom - presented by David Beckham
A London-based startup which is creating an alternative to plastic packaging from seaweed and has already made more than 1 million takeaway food boxes for JustEat.com. Co-Founder Pierre Paslier said: "No one wants to live in a world full of plastic waste but it’s not too late to act. There’s never been a greater time to use natural solutions to solve the plastic challenge."
Fix our Climate: 44.01, Oman - presented by Rami Malek
Created by childhood friends who have developed an innovative technique to turn CO2 into rock, and permanently store it underground. Founder and CEO Talal Hasan said: "Climate change is the greatest challenge we have ever faced but being part of this amazing group of finalists gives us hope. Thank you to Earthshot for encouraging our knowledge and progress in this vital fight."
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The winners were among 15 finalists chosen from more than 1,000 entries by the Earthshot Prize Council, whose members include Prince William, Queen Rania of Jordan, Sir David Attenborough, Cate Blanchett and Shakira Mebarak.
All 15 Finalists will receive tailored support from The Earthshot Prize Global Alliance to help scale their solutions.
For the highly-anticipated occasion, guests were asked to wear environmentally-conscious clothing as well as limiting their travel and offsetting their carbon emissions
Princess Kate's gown was rented, with HELLO! confirming that the royal's dress is from the British rental platform HURR, and was designed by Solace London.
Radio 1 presenter Clara Amfo wore a long black dress by environmental campaigner and designer Vivienne Westwood.
The second annual Earthshot Prize awards ceremony will be broadcast Sunday, December 4 at 17:30pm GMT on BBC, and will begin streaming from The Earthshot Prize YouTube channel later that same evening.
The ceremony will stream on Monday, December 5 at 2:00pm EST on PBS.org and the PBS app, and across Africa, the ceremony will premiere on Multichoice channels on Monday, December 5 at 17:00pm local time.
