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Earthshot 2025 marked a turning point for one of the world’s biggest environmental prizes – and for the kinds of solutions the world is finally taking seriously. Held on 5 November 2025 at the Museum of Tomorrow in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, this was the first time the Earthshot Prize had been hosted in Latin America, underlining Brazil’s rising profile on the global climate stage in anticipation of COP30. The Earthshot Prize+1
What is the Earthshot Prize?
The Earthshot Prize is a global environmental award founded in 2020 by Prince William, inspired by the “moonshot” push of the 1960s. It aims to identify and scale the most impactful solutions to repair the planet between 2021 and 2030. Wikipedia+1
Each year:
- Five winners are selected
- Each receives £1 million (about $1.3 million)
- The prize is scheduled to run until 2030, making 2025 the halfway point in its 10-year vision Wikipedia+1
The prize is organised around five “Earthshots” — big goals for planetary repair, each linked to environmental challenges and the UN Sustainable Development Goals: The Earthshot Prize+1
- Protect & Restore Nature
- Clean Our Air
- Revive Our Oceans
- Build a Waste-Free World
- Fix Our Climate
Importantly, the Prize is not just a cheque and a photo-op. Finalists enter a support ecosystem – the Earthshot Fellowship and a global network of partners – that provides mentorship, technical support, and help connecting to investors and policymakers. The Earthshot Prize+1
By 2025, Earthshot has:
- Built a community of 75+ finalists and winners working across continents The Earthshot Prize+1
- Drawn nearly 2,500 nominations from 72 countries for the 2025 cohort alone Envirotec Magazine+2Yourweather.co.uk | Meteored+2
That sheer diversity is part of the point: it’s meant to say, the solutions exist already – they just need attention and scale.
Why Earthshot 2025 matters
A Global South–centred moment
Earthshot 2025 was held in Rio de Janeiro at the futuristic Museum of Tomorrow, in what organisers describe as a “historic milestone” and the first Earthshot ceremony in Latin America. The Earthshot Prize+1
This is symbolically huge:
- Brazil is host of COP30 and home to the Amazon and Atlantic Forest – ecosystems that matter to the whole planet. Reuters+1
- The winners list includes Brazil, Colombia, Nigeria, Bangladesh and a global UN treaty, pushing climate leadership firmly beyond the usual Global North centres. The Earthshot Prize+1
In other words, Earthshot 2025 sends a clear message:
Climate leadership is global, and the Global South is not just a “victim” – it’s a powerhouse of solutions.
From ideas to systems change
The 2025 cohort stands out because many of the winners are not gadgets or single technologies, but systems-level interventions:
- A city that redesigned how millions move and breathe (Bogotá)
- A UN treaty reshaping how we govern half the planet’s ocean surface (High Seas Treaty)
- A fashion ecosystem transforming an industry’s culture and supply chains (Lagos Fashion Week)
- An integrated development model blending health, adaptation and nature (Friendship)
- A restoration company showing how AI, finance and ecology can rebuild forests at scale (re.green)
This shift reflects a growing consensus that incremental tweaks won’t cut it; we need policies, treaties and markets that change the rules of the game. Environmental coverage around the awards repeatedly highlights that this year’s winners are “systemic” and “transformational,” not just clever pilot projects. Global Fashion Agenda+2WEAREAQUACULTURE+2
Urgent optimism
Prince William framed the winners as “the world’s true action heroes,” arguing that their work proves progress is still possible despite relentless climate news. AP News+1
Earthshot’s core narrative is “urgent optimism”:
- Urgent, because the world is off-track for 1.5°C, nature loss is accelerating, and inequalities are deepening.
- Optimistic, because every year Earthshot surfaces solutions that are already cutting emissions, restoring ecosystems and improving lives.
That emotional framing matters. People and policymakers are more likely to act if they believe meaningful change is still within reach.
Who won Earthshot 2025?
Five winners – one for each Earthshot – were announced in Rio. The Earthshot Prize+1
Protect & Restore Nature – re.green (Brazil)
What it is:
re.green is a Brazilian company using AI, satellite data and science-based restoration techniques to regenerate degraded land in the Atlantic Forest, one of the world’s most threatened biomes. The Earthshot Prize+1
What it does:
- Identifies priority restoration areas using data and ecological modelling
- Restores native forests at industrial scale, with millions of trees already planted
- Designs projects that generate carbon credits and biodiversity gains
- Creates local jobs in rural communities as part of forest-care supply chains Yourweather.co.uk | Meteored+1
Why it matters:
- The Atlantic Forest has been reduced to a fraction of its original size; re.green’s approach shows how restoration can be ecologically credible and financially viable. Yourweather.co.uk | Meteored+1
- By proving that large-scale restoration can attract serious investment and deliver climate, biodiversity and social benefits, re.green offers a model others can copy across tropical regions.
Clean Our Air – City of Bogotá (Colombia)
What it is:
Bogotá, a city of about 8 million people, has won Earthshot’s Clean Our Air category for a sweeping programme that’s cut air pollution by around 24% since 2018 while transforming mobility. The Earthshot Prize+2Colombia One+2
What it does:
- Introduces clean air zones to restrict the most polluting vehicles
- Builds Latin America’s largest cycle path network, encouraging cycling as a mainstream mode of transport
- Deploys one of the world’s largest electric bus fleets, upgrading its famous TransMilenio system and feeder routes
- Aligns policies with broader climate goals – 50% GHG reduction by 2030 and net-zero by 2050 Smart Cities World+2Global Fashion Agenda+2
Why it matters:
- Shows that a fast-growing city in the Global South can improve air quality while expanding access and mobility. bogota.gov.co+1
- Offers a template for other cities to combine public health, climate action and social equity: cleaner air, better transport, more liveable streets.
Bogotá’s win also signals that urban policy – zoning, fleets, infrastructure – is a powerful decarbonisation tool, not just “nice-to-have” city planning.
Revive Our Oceans – The High Seas Treaty (United Nations)
What it is:
The High Seas Treaty, also known as the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Agreement, is the first legally binding global treaty to protect marine life in international waters – the half of the planet’s surface that lies beyond national borders. High Seas Alliance+2WEAREAQUACULTURE+2
What it does:
- Creates a legal framework to establish marine protected areas on the high seas
- Sets rules for environmental impact assessments for activities in international waters
- Supports fairer sharing of marine genetic resources, important for things like pharmaceuticals and biotechnology
- Will enter into force in 2026, now that the required number of ratifications has been reached WEAREAQUACULTURE+1
Why it matters:
- Until now, the high seas were often described as a “lawless frontier”, crucial for climate regulation and biodiversity but poorly protected.
- Winning Earthshot’s Revive Our Oceans category amplifies political momentum for countries to implement the treaty rapidly and effectively. The Earthshot Prize+1
This is a rare case where an international legal agreement, rather than a start-up or NGO, takes centre stage – underlining that strong governance is itself a climate and nature solution.
Build a Waste-Free World – Lagos Fashion Week (Nigeria)
What it is:
Lagos Fashion Week (LFW) is one of Africa’s most influential fashion platforms. It won Earthshot’s Build a Waste-Free World category for reimagining how fashion can be both culturally vibrant and materially circular. The Earthshot Prize+2Africa Solutions Media Hub+2
What it does:
- Promotes sustainable, craft-based designers who use upcycling, local textiles and low-waste production
- Runs programmes like Green Access, supporting emerging designers to minimise waste and rethink materials
- Advocates for better management of second-hand clothing imports and fashion waste that currently flood African markets and landfills RefinedNG+2TheCable+2
Why it matters:
- Fashion is a huge driver of waste, water use and emissions. Lagos Fashion Week proves sustainability is not just a Western luxury – it can be led from Africa, rooted in local culture and jobs. Vogue+1
- It reframes fashion as an engine for green jobs and circular economies, especially for young people and artisans.
Earthshot’s recognition sends a cultural signal: solutions can emerge from catwalks and creative industries, not only from labs and policy desks.
Fix Our Climate – Friendship (Bangladesh)
What it is:
Friendship is a social-purpose organisation working with some of the world’s most climate-vulnerable communities in Bangladesh – people living on eroding river islands, coastal areas and flood-prone zones. It won Earthshot’s Fix Our Climate category for its integrated, holistic development model. Dhaka Tribune+2The Business Standard+2
What it does:
- Runs floating hospitals and health services that move with shifting river communities
- Restores mangroves and other natural defences to protect coasts and livelihoods
- Helps build flood-resilient villages, raising plinths and redesigning housing and infrastructure
- Combines climate adaptation, poverty alleviation, education and empowerment, treating them as inseparable issues The Earthshot Prize+2Global Fashion Agenda+2
Why it matters:
- Friendship shows that effective climate action on the frontlines is community-led and nature-based, not top-down.
- Bangladesh’s first ever Earthshot win is a powerful symbol: countries on the sharp edge of climate impacts are also leading on adaptation and resilience innovation. BSS+2Prothomalo+2
Friendship’s win broadens the narrative of climate action beyond emissions cuts, highlighting adaptation and human dignity as central pillars of climate justice.
So… what does this mean for 2026?
Earthshot is a 10-year sprint; 2025 is the mid-way checkpoint. What happened in Rio has direct implications for Earthshot 2026 and beyond.
The 2026 search is already underway
Even as the 2025 winners were being celebrated, the search for Earthshot 2026 solutions had already begun:
- Organisations like Innovate UK, Lancaster University, TU Delft, the Commonwealth Secretariat, and The Mills Fabrica are all acting as Official Nominators for the 2026 prize. Imperial College London+6Innovate UK Business Connect+6Lancaster University+6
- Calls are open for start-ups, community initiatives, cities, and research teams to put forward solutions that are ready to scale, not just at concept stage. Innovate UK Business Connect+1
This means that 2025’s winners immediately become role models for what a winning solution looks like:
- Measurable impact (e.g. Bogotá’s 24% pollution reduction, re.green’s hectares restored) Envirotec Magazine+1
- Ability to scale or replicate across geographies
- Strong links between climate, nature and social outcomes, not just one dimension
Anyone aiming for Earthshot 2026 will be studying the 2025 cohort very closely.
Expect even more focus on systemic change
Looking at the 2025 winners, it’s reasonable to infer some selection trends for 2026:
- Governance and treaties as solutions
With the High Seas Treaty winning, Earthshot has signalled that policy frameworks and global agreements can absolutely count as “solutions” – not only discrete tech innovations. High Seas Alliance+2WEAREAQUACULTURE+2 - City-scale transformation
Bogotá’s recognition will encourage other cities to submit whole-of-city programmes – around clean air, buildings, nature, or mobility – rather than isolated pilot projects. Smart Cities World+1 - Cultural and creative sectors
Lagos Fashion Week’s win shows that Earthshot is open to cultural platforms that shift consumer behaviour, industry norms and narratives. Expect more entries from media, design, food culture and the arts. The Earthshot Prize+2Vogue+2 - Frontline adaptation and justice
Friendship’s integrated model – health, adaptation, livelihoods, rights – suggests that Earthshot is keen to reward justice-centred climate work, especially where communities most affected are in the lead. Global Fashion Agenda+2BSS+2
In short, if 2021–2023 Earthshot cohorts were heavy on technology and innovation, 2025 (and likely 2026) looks increasingly systems-oriented.
2026 will be the “implementation” year for some 2025 wins
Several of the 2025 winners are poised for crucial implementation milestones in 2026, which will shape how their impact stories are told:
- The High Seas Treaty is due to enter into force in early 2026, triggering negotiations on marine protected areas and new rules for activities on the high seas. WEAREAQUACULTURE+1
- re.green’s forest restoration pipelines and partnerships are expected to expand, with Earthshot’s visibility helping unlock more finance for large-scale nature-based solutions in Brazil. Yourweather.co.uk | Meteored+1
- Bogotá’s win will increase pressure – and opportunity – to accelerate its clean air and transport agenda, and to replicate policies in other cities via networks like C40. Secretaría Distrital de Ambiente+1
- Lagos Fashion Week is likely to deepen its sustainability programmes and partnerships with brands and retailers, making circular fashion mainstream rather than niche in West Africa. Africa Solutions Media Hub+1
- Friendship will have new resources to scale up mangrove restoration, healthcare and flood-resilient communities – and to share its integrated model with other delta and river systems worldwide. The Earthshot Prize+2Global Fashion Agenda+2
2026 is therefore not just “the next prize year”; it’s the prove-and-scale year for what 2025 just elevated.
A halfway-point signal to 2030
By design, Earthshot is meant to end in 2030 – the same year many global climate and biodiversity targets fall due. Wikipedia+1
Earthshot 2025 sends a few meta-signals as we move into the second half of the decade:
- We know what works. The solutions showcased in Rio – from treaties to transit systems – are not speculative. They’re already delivering results.
- Action is shifting south. The 2025 winners cluster strongly in the Global South and in international commons like the high seas, reflecting where impacts and innovation are most intense. AP News+2Prothomalo+2
- The next five years are about scaling, not searching. With thousands of nominations and 75+ finalists already, Earthshot’s own ecosystem demonstrates that the bottleneck is no longer ideas but politics, finance and speed.
For 2026, that likely means:
- More big coalitions (cities, regions, treaty bodies, industry alliances) putting themselves forward
- Increased emphasis on replicability – can this work in 10, 50, 100 other places?
- Stronger linking of Earthshot stories to COP processes and other UN negotiations, as with the Brazil–COP30 alignment in 2025. AP News+2Reuters+2
The outcomes of Earthshot 2025
Earthshot 2025 isn’t just another awards night with celebrities, samba and a green carpet (though it had all of that too). HELLO!+1
It showcased:
- A forest restoration company turning degraded land into climate-positive jobs (re.green)
- A megacity proving clean air is compatible with growth (Bogotá)
- A historic treaty finally giving the high seas real legal protection (High Seas Treaty)
- A fashion platform dragging a notoriously wasteful industry towards circularity (Lagos Fashion Week)
- A frontline NGO weaving health, adaptation and nature into a single, dignified model of climate resilience (Friendship)
Together, they tell a story of hope that works for the real world – messy, political, unequal, but still full of possibility.
And they set the bar – and the direction – for Earthshot 2026:
more systems change, more Global South leadership, more treaties and policies, more frontline justice, and above all, more proof that repairing the planet this decade is still possible if we decide to back the solutions already in our hands.
