Singapore (Commonwealth Union)_ The Earthshot Prize, a global environmental prize established by Prince William of Britain, is set to host its third annual awards ceremony on November 7th in Singapore. The prize was founded in 2020 with the intention of funding innovative projects that combat climate change and safeguard the planet. Five winners will each receive £1 million (S$1.67 million) to assist with the expansion of their environmental solutions, and the names of the finalists will be revealed later in the year.
In a statement made on May 15th, Prince William stated that the Earthshot Prize aims to demonstrate that solutions to the world’s biggest environmental challenges are available. While announcing the destination of the 2023 awards, Prince William said, “The Earthshot Prize is all about showing the world that solutions to some of the biggest environmental challenges we face are out there. After two years of discovering impactful ideas and innovations, I am delighted that The Earthshot Prize is traveling to Singapore, where the ground-breaking solutions of our 2023 finalists will be celebrated.”
The upcoming awards ceremony in Singapore will honor the groundbreaking solutions of the finalists. According to a statement from the event’s organizers, world-renowned musicians and artists will perform at the ceremony. They also stated that the awards ceremony will feature a series of events for the first time during Earthshot Week. Accordingly, leaders, businesses, and investors from around the world will visit Singapore to investigate opportunities with the victors and finalists. According to the organizers, Southeast Asia is one of the regions most affected by climate change, but it is also a hub for innovators, entrepreneurs, community leaders, and problem solvers committed to protecting the planet.
In 2021, the first Earthshot Prize took place in London before moving to Boston in 2022. The Prince and Princess attended both ceremonies. Partners Temasek Trust, Temasek, investment platform company GenZero, and Conservation International will support the 2023 prize. The organizers added that using their collective expertise, resources, and networks, they will play a vital role in ensuring a successful series of engagements prior to and during Earthshot Week in Singapore.
Desmond Kuek, CEO of Temasek Trust, expressed his hopes that the collaboration would drive action and create lasting positive change for generations to come. According to Dr Steve Howard, Vice Chairman of Sustainability at Temasek, all stakeholders must make sustained efforts to combat climate change, and this is a timely opportunity for the Temasek ecosystem to play a catalytic role in fostering action and galvanizing innovation in the region.
The prize was inspired by the 1962 “Moonshot” speech by former US President John F. Kennedy, in which he committed his nation to the aim of landing a man on the moon by the end of the decade. The recipients of the Earthshot Prize from the previous year included a team from Oman that discovered a method to remove carbon dioxide by transforming it into rock and a company that seeks to provide cleaner-burning stoves to women in Kenya. Overall, the Earthshot Prize is an exciting initiative that aims to find and scale solutions to the planet’s biggest environmental challenges, and its third annual awards ceremony in Singapore promises to be a celebration of innovative ideas and solutions.
