The Duke of Cambridge’s ambitious project ‘The Earthshot Prize‘ tonight saw its first big milestone. The first Earthshot Award ceremony was held at the Alexandra Palace in London. The Duchess of Cambridge joined her husband at the much-anticipated night.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge arriving at the event.
Launched by Prince William in October 2020, The Earthshot prizes are considered to be at the same scale as Nobel Prize and have an objective of repairing our planet in the next decade. Taking inspiration from President John F. Kennedy’s Moonshot which united millions of people around an organizing goal to put a man on the moon and catalyzed the development of new technology in the 1960s, The Earthshot Prize is centered around five ‘Earthshots’ – simple but ambitious goals for our planet which if achieved by 2030 will improve life for us all, for generations to come.
Prince William and The Duchess of Cambridge meet the guests.
Under the umbrella of The Royal Foundation of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, The Earthshot Prizes has big international names likes Michael Bloomberg, Queen Rania, Shakira, Sir David Attenborough attached with it. The Prize is backed by The Earthshot Prize Council, a global team of influential individuals, who will be responsible for awarding The Earthshot Prize every year from 2021 until 2030. An awards ceremony will take place in different cities across the world each year between 2021 and 2030 to award five winners The Earthshot Prize. Five, one million-pound prizes will be awarded each year for the next 10 years, providing at least 50 solutions to the world’s greatest environmental problems by 2030.
The Nominations for this year’s awards were declared last month by Prince William. Each category has three nominees and the winners will receive £1Million prize money to implement their ideas on large scale. The awards will be presented by The Duchess of Cambridge, Dame Emma Thompson, Emma Watson, David Oyelowo, and Mo Salah. The awards are made of old pipes/waste. The awards ceremony has been specially designed to be sustainable, with no guests flown in just for the evening, a paperless policy as well as plant-based canapés.
A beautiful shot of The Duchess of Cambridge and Dame Emma Thompson greeting each other behind the scene.
The venue was a fantastic choice for the star-studded evening. Providing panoramic views of London, The Alexandra Palace -a Grade II building, is situated between Wood Green and Muswell Hill in the London Borough of Haringey. Originally built by John Johnson and Alfred Meeson, it opened in 1873 but following a fire two weeks after its opening, was rebuilt by Johnson. Intended as “The People’s Palace” and referred to as “Ally Pally“, its purpose was to serve as a public center of recreation, education, and entertainment.
The Awards are categorized into 5 categories and this year’s winners were: Protech and Restore Nature – The Republic of Costa Rica, Clear Our Air – Takachar India, Revive our Oceans – Coral Vita Bahamas, Build a Waste-Free world – The City of Milan Food Waste Hubs, Fix our Climate – AEM Electrolyser.
Each #EarthshotPrize medal is unique and sustainably crafted from recycled brass ♻️
Designed by award-winning Dutch artist Christien Meindertsma, the brass was sourced from water pipe fittings, household waste and minute metals filtered from wastewater. #EarthshotLondon2021 pic.twitter.com/HysDRe08r8
— #EarthshotLondon2021 Awards (@EarthshotPrize) October 16, 2021
Each Winner was awarded a beautiful, one-of-a-kind Prize medal, designed by award-winning Dutch artist Christien Meindertsma, inspired by the iconic ‘Earthrise’ photo taken of the Earth from space from the Apollo 8 mission in 1968 and created from recycled materials.
The Duchess of Cambridge presented the Protect and Restore our Nature award. Catherine has been a long-standing champion of nature and its impact on our mental health. Presenting the award, The Duchess of Cambridge said, “Nature is vital to us all. A thriving natural world regulates our planet, nurtures our physical and mental health, and helps feed our families. But for too long, we have neglected our wild spaces and now we are facing a number of tipping points. And if don’t act now we will permanently destabilize our planet and we will rob our children of the future they deserve. Our Earthshot prize finalists showed us however that we can by 2030 see the natural world growing not shrinking for the first time in centuries. I’m delighted to announce that the first-ever Earthshot Prize to Protect and Restore Nature is awarded to The Republic of Costa Rica“
“I am very proud of my son, William, for his growing commitment to the environment and the bold ambition of the Earthshot Prize. As a world, we need to come together to inspire, reimagine and build the sustainable future we so desperately need.”
– HRH The Prince of Wales pic.twitter.com/RYMZI9ES8g
— The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall (@ClarenceHouse) October 17, 2021
Earlier today, Prince Charles of Wales sent a beautiful message praising William’s project, “I am very proud of my son, William, for his growing commitment to the environment and the bold ambition of the Earthshot Prize. As a world, we need to come together to inspire, reimagine and build the sustainable future we so desperately need. Over the coming decade, with future generations in mind, the Earthshot Prize, and its inspirational nominees, will help us find innovative solutions. In parallel, through my Terra Carta and Sustainable Markets Initiative, we will work to mobilize the trillions of dollars required to transition the global economy onto a more sustainable trajectory. Together, with all those who join us, we have a real opportunity to deliver a brighter future for humanity while restoring harmony between Nature, People, and Planet.”
Prince William also talked to BBC Newscast this week sharing his experiences and thoughts. William said, “We need some of the world’s greatest brains and minds fixed on trying to repair this planet, not trying to find the next place to go and live”. He also shared an experience that Prince George had during a school litter picking activity. You can listen to the full interview here.
“Our Finalists all give us hope which, we are told, springs eternal. But we don’t have eternity. We need to do this now. And over the next ten years, if we all put our minds to it, I believe we can.”
— #EarthshotPrize Council Member Sir David Attenborough pic.twitter.com/kUUnXoD1eg
— #EarthshotLondon2021 Awards (@EarthshotPrize) October 17, 2021
The night was hosted by Clara Amfo and Dermot O’Leary and had performances by renowned artists Ed Sheeran, Coldplay, KSI and Yemi Alade, and Shawn Mendes. Giving the performance an environmental touch Coldplay’s performance, from outside of Alexandra Palace, used energy powered by 60 cyclists.
During the ceremony, a short film recorded in the London Eye was played, in which Prince William said, “We are alive in the most consequential time in human history. The actions we choose or choose not to take in the next ten years will determine the fate of the planet for the next thousand. A decade doesn’t seem long, but humankind has an outstanding record of being able to solve the unsolvable. Many of the answers are already out there.. but we need everyone—from all parts of society—to raise their ambition and unite in repairing our planet. The future is ours to determine. And if we set our minds to it, nothing is impossible.”
Prince William concluded the ceremony with a message to the youth and revealing the host of 2022 Earth shot prizes. He said, “I want to say something to all the young people watching tonight: For too long, we haven’t done enough to protect the planet for your future. But Earthshot is for you. In the next ten years, we are going to act. We are going to find the solutions to repair our planet. Please keep learning, keep demanding change and don’t give up hope. We will rise to these challenges. And now I hope you agreed that London and the UK has put on quite a show for our first our, so for the second year, we need to pass the baton to a country whose leadership is essential for all of 5 of our Earthshots. Way better the nation that inspires the Moon shot all those years ago. I am delighted to announce that the Earthshot will be heading to the United States of America in 2022“
After the event, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge joined a virtual meeting to congratulate all the winners.
It is believed that the Duchess wore the customized version of the gown shown here.
The gown was described as “Alexander McQueen’s gorgeous Grecian floor-length gown will leave you feeling like a modern-day Aphrodite. Cinch in the cascading layers with McQueen’s signature fuchsia belt and adorn yourself in gilded extras for a show-stopping finish. Gray floor-length evening gown with a detachable fuchsia belt. Alexander McQueen dress has a concealed bustier top, detachable shoulder straps, and a concealed zip fastening on the side.100% cupro.”
The top of Catherine’s gown was modified to give it a modest touch and this time The Duchess swapped the fuchsia belt with a Jenny Packham “magic” silver belt with a golden base. Thanks to CoutureRoyals for the id.
Catherine paired the outfit with her Kiki McDonough Morganite Double Drop Earrings that we first saw in 2017 at the wedding of her sister Pipa.
The Duchess of Cambridge was wearing her Oscar de la Renta Lame Cabrina Pumps.
Next, we will see The Duchess of Cambridge on Tuesday when she will give a keynote speech at the Forward Trust event in London to launch the charity’s ‘Taking Action on Addiction’ campaign. The launch coincides with Addiction Awareness Week, running from 18-24 October.
