- Third annual global environmental awards to take place in Southeast Asia this November
- Prize to establish ‘Earthshot Week’, featuring events aimed at mobilising and scaling innovative solutions to protect and repair our planet
- Temasek Trust, Temasek, GenZero and Conservation International join The Earthshot Prize as Strategic Partners and Standard Chartered joins as a Founding Partner
LONDON/ SINGAPORE, 15 May 2023 – Prince William’s Earthshot Prize, an ambitious global initiative to protect and restore our planet, will travel to Singapore later this year for its third annual Awards Ceremony, which will take place on Tuesday 7 November.
During the inspiring event in the heart of Singapore, the five Winners of The Earthshot Prize 2023 will be awarded a catalytic £1 million to help scale their environmental solutions. The ceremony will also feature performances by world-renowned musicians and artists.
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 travelling to Singapore, where the ground-breaking solutions of our 2023 Finalists will be celebrated.” Founded by Prince William in 2020, The Earthshot Prize is a prestigious environmental prize which aims to discover, celebrate, accelerate and scale solutions that can help put the world firmly on a trajectory towards a stable climate, where communities, oceans and biodiversity thrive in harmony by 2030. The five ‘Earthshots’ – simple and ambitious goals to repair our planet – are: Protect and Restore Nature, Clean Our Air, Revive Our Oceans, Build a Waste- Free World and Fix Our Climate.
Our inaugural 2021 Finalists have already driven incredible impact to repair and regenerate our planet with more than 1.5 million people benefiting directly from their solutions. Over 7,000 hectares of land and almost 2.1 million hectares of ocean have been protected or restored, while over 35,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions have been reduced, avoided or sequestered. Our 2022 Finalists, announced this past autumn, are well on their way to creating similar impact.
This year, for the first time, the awards ceremony will be accompanied by a series of events as part of Earthshot Week. Beginning Monday 6 November, the week will see global leaders, businesses and investors convene in Singapore to explore exciting opportunities with The Earthshot Prize Winners and Finalists, aimed at accelerating their solutions and bringing about tangible action to repair the planet. Members of the public will also be invited to experience local activations centred on the 2023 cohort of Earthshot solutions.
Southeast Asia is one of the regions of the world most affected by climate change, but in the face of significant environmental challenges, it is also a hub for innovators, entrepreneurs, community leaders and problem solvers who are committed to restoring our planet. This optimistic approach embodies the spirit of The Earthshot Prize, and, as the gateway to Southeast Asia, Singapore provides the perfect venue for the 2023 Winners to be announced.
The Earthshot Prize will be supported by the following strategic partners: Temasek Trust, Temasek, GenZero and Conservation International. With their collective expertise, resources and networks, they will play a crucial role in ensuring a successful series of engagements in the lead-up to, and during, the awards ceremony and ‘Earthshot Week’ in Singapore.
Temasek Trust will bring the experience and expertise in catalytic philanthropy, blended finance and community engagement from across its ecosystem, such as the Philanthropy Asia Alliance, Centre for Impact Investing and Practices, Tri-Sector Associates and Temasek Foundation. Global investment company, Temasek, and its carbon solutions platform, GenZero, will collectively provide strategic guidance and leverage their extensive corporate, sustainability and investment networks to convene a strong, relevant audience from Singapore and the region to amplify impact.
Desmond Kuek, CEO, Temasek Trust, said: “Temasek Trust is pleased to be a multi-year strategic partner of The Earthshot Prize given our shared bias for action and belief in the power of collaborative philanthropy and public-private-philanthropic partnerships to create a brighter future for our planet. Temasek Trust will draw on the experience and expertise in catalytic philanthropy, blended finance and community engagement from across our ecosystem and mobilise our resources and networks alongside The Earthshot Prize and other strategic partners to scale our collective impact across Asia and beyond. Together, we will drive action and work towards creating lasting positive change for generations to come.”
Dr. Steve Howard, Vice Chairman, Sustainability, Temasek, said: “We’re delighted to join hands with Temasek Trust and GenZero to support The Earthshot Prize in spotlighting climate solutions fit for Asia. Climate action requires sustained efforts from all stakeholders, so this is a timely opportunity for the Temasek ecosystem to play a catalytic role in inspiring action and galvanising innovation in the region. Through our Ecosperity platform, we are committed to partnering with the Earthshot team in showcasing and scaling the breakthrough solutions we need for a more sustainable, inclusive and resilient world.”
Frederick Teo, CEO of GenZero, said: “Climate change is the crisis of our generation. Developing Asia, especially Southeast Asia, will feel the effects of climate change disproportionately given our archipelagic and low-lying nature. However, we are optimistic that the power of human ingenuity, supported by thoughtful and patient capital, can transform this crisis of our generation into the opportunity of our lifetimes. We are excited that The Earthshot Prize will be convening the Earthshot Week and the Awards in Asia and focusing global attention on the unique climate challenges we face here. We look forward to partnering with The Earthshot Prize to develop, nurture and support innovative, cost-effective and scalable solutions to accelerate decarbonisation efforts in Singapore and across the region, in order to ensure a sustainable planet for the lives and livelihoods that depend on it.”
Already a Global Alliance Partner of The Earthshot Prize, Conservation International brings a long history of working globally to spotlight and secure the benefits of nature for humanity. Now serving as a Strategic Partner, Conservation International will leverage its in-depth knowledge of conservation programs and sustainability financing across Southeast Asia and the broader region. In addition, Conservation International’s expertise in biodiversity and vast network will help guide the selection of Prize Winners and connect the Prize with its range of partners committed to scalable, innovative solutions for people and the planet.
Dr. M. Sanjayan, CEO of Conservation International, said: “The Earthshot Prize is an extraordinary effort to meet our planetary emergencies with optimistic and scalable solutions on an urgent timeline. I can’t think of a better place to honour this work. Southeast Asia, where Conservation International has worked for three decades, is rich in biodiversity, innovation and problem solvers. We’re eager to gather with The Earthshot Prize community in November and continue our work together to foster a world where our air and oceans are clean, waste is eliminated and wildlife, nature and people thrive.”
In addition, Standard Chartered will join The Earthshot Prize as a Founding Partner. Alongside the other Founding Partners of The Earthshot Prize, its support will be catalytic in helping the Prize to create impact, support the Finalists of the Prize and reach new audiences around the world.
Simon Cooper, Chief Executive of Corporate, Commercial & Institutional Banking and CEO of Europe & Americas at Standard Chartered, said: “We are extremely proud to be joining the other Earthshot Founding Partners in supporting one of the world’s most focused, solutionsdriven and impactful catalysts for environmental innovation and problem-solving. As an international bank with a long presence in, and global businesses based out of, Singapore, we’re also delighted that the Nation State will host this year’s Earthshot Prize.”
The awards ceremony in Singapore follows on from events hosted in Boston in 2022 and London in 2021. The Earthshot Prize Finalists celebrated at those first two annual events have already driven significant change around the world, supported by partners from across The Earthshot Prize’s Global Alliance. Their stories demonstrate that the seemingly impossible can be possible through ingenuity, optimism, inspiration and innovation.
The 2023 Earthshot Prize Finalists will be unveiled this autumn. More details about The Earthshot Prize Awards Ceremony and Earthshot Week in Singapore will be released in due course.
For more information about The Earthshot Prize, visit: www.earthshotprize.org.
