The Finalists were announced on September 24th. The Winners will be announced at the Awards ceremony on November 6th.
The Earthshot Prize to Protect and Restore Nature
- Winner
- To be announced November 6th
- Finalist
- Amazon Sacred Headwaters Alliance, Ecuador:
- An alliance of 30 indigenous nations that collectively stand together to protect 86 million acres of critical Amazon rainforest – an area the size of Germany – and advocate for a regenerative bioeconomy.
- NatureMetrics, UK:
- A global intelligence start-up in environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling on a mission to make biodiversity monitoring accessible to all. Using eDNA technology to identify species populations and report environmental and conservation impacts, they have the potential to unleash system-level change in nature conservation and restoration.
- Altyn Dala Conservation Initiative, Kazakhstan:
- An organization that has achieved what was thought impossible – the rapid recovery of a large animal from the brink of extinction. Partnering with governments and indigenous communities to restore Kazakhstan’s Steppe grassland, Altyn Dala’s work to deliver the comeback of the Saiga antelope is one of the greatest nature restoration successes ever recorded.
- Winner
- To be announced November 6th
- Finalist
- GAYO, Green Africa Youth Organization, Ghana:
- A youth-led organization that uses its “zero waste model” to drive behavioural change in waste management practices across Africa that cut greenhouse gas emissions and particle pollution while bringing additional income to communities. Their plan to scale would reduce air pollution by 70% and make them the leading model for waste management on the continent.
- d.light, Pan-Africa:
- A successful company on track to transform the lives of one billion people by providing affordable and clean solar home systems that provide electricity and replace polluting kerosene lamps and dirty stoves. Operating across Sub-Saharan Africa, India and over 60 additional countries, d.light is already one of the world’s largest solar home system providers and continues to rapidly improve access to clean energy.
- MYCL, Indonesia:
- A company tackling two major problems: crop-waste burning and harmful leather production, both which pollute the air and damage quality of life. They take crop waste – which is typically burned – and use a unique mushroom base to convert it into a leather alternative. They are scaling rapidly via key partnerships with major fashion designers and creating local jobs for farmers and artisans.
- Winner
- To be announced November 6th
- Finalist
- High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People, Global
- A groundbreaking alliance of 119 countries with the grandest goal of any Finalist to date – to protect 30% of the land and oceans by 2030, by identifying technical, financial and knowledge gaps and connecting governments with technical assistance and funding. They’ve already achieved a major milestone with the adoption of this “30×30” target in the 2022 UN Global Biodiversity Framework.
- MiAlgae, UK
- A company offering a circular economy solution to the problem of sourcing marine Omega-3s from fish oil, which requires catching large quantities of wild fish simply to feed the farmed fish that we consume. Using a patented fermentation process and whisky by-products, MiAlgae grows nutrient-rich microalgae as a direct source of Omega-3s for aquaculture feed. Their innovative approach makes the solution highly scalable and cost-efficient, reducing the need to rely on wild fish and offering a sustainable alternative for the industry.
- Coast 4C, Philippines
- A social enterprise that aims to build the world’s largest supply of regenerative seaweed, benefiting marginalized coastal fishing communities by transforming their harvest and providing a market to sell the seaweed at profits to lift them out of poverty.
- Winner
- To be announced November 6th
- Finalist
- Natural Fiber Welding, USA:
- A company that creates biodegradable natural fibers and ingredients to replace plastics with wide applications in fashion, footwear, automotive and more. NFW’s non-toxic processes benefit farmers and reduce carbon emissions by 90%, compared to plastics.
- Ferment’Up, France:
- A company that upcycles skins and seeds from fruits and vegetables using dry fermentation to create highly nutritious ingredients from food waste, cutting carbon emissions and drastically reducing water use.
- Keep IT Cool, Kenya:
- A company that is tackling problems with proper refrigeration and cold-chain logistics across Africa by offering solar-powered refrigeration solutions that cut post-harvest waste by 25% and by connecting smallholder farmers and fishers to a centralized online marketplace.
The Earthshot Prize to Fix Our Climate
- Winner
- To be announced November 6th
- Finalist
- Equatic, USA:
- Using breakthrough technology, this early-stage company uses a process called seawater electrolysis to remove carbon dioxide from the ocean 99,000 times faster than nature alone. The process creates a byproduct called green hydrogen, a desirable clean fuel whose sale could support its carbon removal operations.
- Advanced Thermovoltaic Systems, USA:
- A company that takes excess heat from heavy industrial processes, like creating cement and steel, and converts the heat waste into electricity. ATS’s unique heat waste capture technology has the potential to avoid a gigatonne of CO2 waste by 2050.
- Build Up Nepal, Nepal:
- A social enterprise that has developed an earthquake-resilient brick with 75% lower carbon emissions compared to traditional clay-fired bricks. Homes built with these bricks are affordable and have been proven to withstand earthquakes.
