‘Beacon of hope’: The Earthshot Prize winners 2024 revealed in star-studded Cape Town ceremony

From a project restoring Kazakhstan’s Golden Steppe to a sustainable refrigeration solution for fishers and farmers in East Africa, the winners of The Earthshot Prize have been revealed.

The global environmental awards were described as a “beacon of hope” to the planet by Australian conservationist Robert Irwin ahead of the announcement on Wednesday evening.

“You look at the Earthshot finalists and they are from every corner of the globe, from different backgrounds and cultures and they are all coming together for one common goal. What an awesome thing to get behind.”

South Africa hosted this year’s Earthshot Week and introduced the fourth edition of the star-studded awards ceremony, which took place in a purpose-built venue beside Cape Town Stadiums.

The show opened with an exclusive pre-recorded performance of Lebo M singing ‘Circle of Life’ from ‘The Lion King’ atop Table Mountain and was hosted by the multi-awarded actor and singer Billy Porter and award-winning television presenter Bonang Matheba.

Among the A-list attendees included the Prince and Princess of Wales, and announcing the winners on stage were supermodel and television host Heidi Klum, actor and activist Nina Dobrev, artist and actor Tobe Nwigwe, and supermodel and beauty entrepreneur Winnie Harlow.

The 2024 winners of The Earthshot Prize are revealed

The Earthshot Prize was first launched in 2020 by Prince William, who wanted to recognise environmental solutions to “repair” the Earth.

Out of the 15 finalists, only five category winners were selected to each win a £1 million (€1.2 million) prize fund to scale up their plans.

Protect and Restore Nature Winner: Altyn Dala Conservation Initiative

Altyn Dala Conservation Initiative in Kazakhstan is on a mission to protect and restore the country’s Golden Steppe, which is one of the world’s largest conservation projects.

The organisation has already achieved the indomitable task of saving the critically endangered Saiga Antelope from extinction.

Clean Our Air Winner: GAYO, Green Africa Youth Organization

GAYO is focused on delivering circular economy waste management in Ghana and Uganda. Young people are driving behavioural change in communities, helping them to clean up waste, create jobs and build infrastructure.

Revive Our Oceans Winner: High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People (HAC)

The High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People wants action, not promises, and so engages and works closely with global governments to protect 30 per cent of our land and oceans by 2023.

Build a Waste-free World Winner: Keep IT Cool (KIC)

How can small farmers and fishers extend the shelf life of their catch and reduce spoilage? KIC has developed a sustainable refrigeration and smart distribution solution across Kenya and Uganda, which not only reduces food waste but also improves profits and supports stable incomes.

Fix Our Climate Winner: Advanced Thermovoltaic Systems (ATS)

A simple idea with potentially a great impact: American-based ATS has developed a safe and reliable looped solution that transforms industrial waste heat into electricity for use in hard-to-abate industries, saving gigatonnes of CO2 in the process.

Why was Africa chosen to host The Earthshot Prize?

Africa is deemed the most vulnerable continent to the impacts of climate change, even though its countries boast the lowest carbon emissions.

“Africa has always held a special place in my heart - as somewhere I found comfort as a teenager, where I proposed to my wife and most recently as the founding inspiration behind The Earthshot Prize,” says Prince William, founder and president of The Earthshot Prize and second in line to the British throne.

“It was in Namibia in 2018 that I realised the power of how innovative, positive solutions to environmental problems could drive transformative change for humans and nature.”

In advance of the ceremony, The Earthshot Prize built up a regional network to help identify more nominations from Africa. As a result, the number of African-based nominees in 2024 doubled since last year.

The Earthshot Prize took place amid criticism of the Royal Family

Last weekend, an explosive investigation by Channel 4’s ‘Dispatches’ and the Sunday Times newspaper flagged the financing of both Prince William’s and King Charles’ private estates.

This raised several environmental controversies, including recent mining contracts and licences to drill in areas of outstanding beauty on the estates in England and Wales. The investigation also highlighted that the estates’ portfolios of rental properties held some of Britain’s worst energy efficiency ratings.

A Duchy of Cornwall spokesperson said it is "a private estate with a commercial imperative which we achieve alongside our commitment to restoring the natural environment and generating positive social impact for our communities".

This is not the first time Prince William has been criticised for his environmental contradictions. In 2022, it was revealed that the future king’s Royal Foundation had invested in unsustainable palm oil.