William, Prince of Wales, greets singer Shawn Mendes as singer Kylie Minogue looks on before the Earthshot Environmental Awards ceremony in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Wednesday. The two singers performed at the ceremony. Photo by Lucas Figueiredo/EPA
The Earthshot Prize announced its winners for 2025 Thursday, which include rainforest reforestation, a global oceans treaty and a fashion week.
The prize was created in 2020 by Prince William and environmentalist David Attenborough to recognize and support organizations doing strong environmental work that can help meet environmental goals. The five winners each get a $1.3 million grant to help continue their work.
The awards ceremony was in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, at its Museum of Tomorrow, and was hosted by Brazilian broadcaster Luciano Huck. The event featured performances by pop stars Shawn Mendes and Kylie Minogue. Award presenters included Brazilian football legend Cafu, Olympian Rebeca Andrade and former Formula 1 driver Sebastian Vettel.
Prince William told the crowd that he founded the award to make “this the decade in which we transformed our world for the better.”
“We set out to tackle environmental issues head on and make real, lasting changes that would protect life on Earth,” the BBC reported William said.
There were 2,500 nominees from 72 countries. Those were narrowed down to 15 finalists, and five winners were chosen, one for each category.
The winners were:
Protect and Restore Nature: re.green, Brazil — re.green uses AI and satellite data to make reforestation profitable, restoring the Amazon and Atlantic forests at scale while protecting vital biodiversity and supporting local communities.
“We hope our work can serve as a blueprint for large-scale regeneration worldwide, and we’re excited to use the Earthshot platform to inspire others to join this market and make it grow,” said CEO Thiago Picolo, in a statement.
Clean Our Air: The City of Bogotá, Colombia — The City of Bogotá has implemented clean air policies to cut air pollution by 24% since 2018, redesigning how 8 million people move and live, and building a healthier, greener city.
Mayor of Bogotá Carlos Fernando Galán, said in a statement, “through this international platform we can shine a light on how coordinated action across transport, freight, and green infrastructure can drastically improve air quality.”
Revive Our Oceans: The High Seas Treaty, Global — The High Seas Treaty closes the gap in ocean conservation, protecting biodiversity in international waters and helping hit the global 30×30 goal, which is to protect 30% of the ocean by 2030.
“This recognition celebrates years of tireless work and highlights the transformative potential of the Treaty — giving a voice to the vast areas of our ocean that are often overlooked and undervalued. This is not just a moment of celebration however — it’s a powerful catalyst for action to secure a thriving ocean for generations to come,” said Rebecca Hubbard, director of High Seas Alliance.
Build a Waste-Free World: Lagos Fashion Week, Nigeria — Lagos Fashion Week is transforming one of the world’s most wasteful industries by creating a new fashion economy rooted in purpose, sustainability and cultural integrity.
“Fashion has the power to create jobs, preserve culture and transform lives — that is why we do this work,” said Omoyemi Akerele, founder. The award will “allow us to keep pushing for a future where fashion is not just beautiful, but also meaningful and responsible,” she said.
Fix Our Climate: Friendship, Bangladesh — Friendship protects vulnerable communities from damaging storms in Bangladesh, combining services like healthcare and education with climate resilience projects that save lives, restore ecosystems, and create opportunity.
“From our first floating hospital to restoring mangroves and building flood-resilient villages, we have proven that community-led, nature-based solutions can transform lives. This recognition amplifies the voices of those most affected and shows that locally driven adaptation is both possible and essential,” said Runa Khan, founder of Friendship.
