William hails ‘fresh momentum for new ideas’ and names Earthshot Prize location

The Prince of Wales has said there is “fresh momentum for new ideas” to create “safer ways to live our lives” as he announced his Earthshot Prize would be staged in Brazil this year.

William’s annual environmental awards will take place in Rio de Janeiro in November, the same month Brazil is hosting the Cop30 UN climate change summit.

The prince’s attendance at the Earthshot Prize is expected to be confirmed nearer the time but if the visit coincides with the gathering of world leaders for the UN event the future king could be among them.

To mark the announcement, William said: “2025 marks the midway point of the Earthshot decade and each year we’ve witnessed the remarkable power of human ingenuity in addressing our planet’s most pressing challenges.

“As we bring the Earthshot Prize to Brazil, a nation rich in biodiversity and environmental innovation, we are seeing fresh momentum for new ideas to create healthier and safer ways to live our lives.

“It is an honour to profile the people making our world a better place for us and for our children.”

A video will be released to mark the announcement of the venue location, featuring the prince and a host of Earthshot supporters, including council members Cate Blanchett, global ambassador Robert Irwin, son of conservationist and TV personality Steve Irwin, and David Beckham, Hannah Waddingham and Heidi Klum, alongside former Brazilian footballers Cafu and Mauro Silva.

William is the driving force behind the annual environmental competition and has attended all the presentation events since launching the initiative.

Cape Town staged the most recent awards ceremony last November after prize-giving events were held in Singapore in 2023, Boston in 2022 and London’s Alexandra Palace in 2021.

The prince founded the prize to recognise and scale-up ideas to help “repair” the planet, with the five winning finalists each awarded £1 million to further develop their ideas.

Awards are presented in five categories, or Earthshots – Protect and restore nature; Clean our air, Revive our oceans; Build a waste-free world; and Fix our climate.