Prince William to stage 'Children's Earthshot' Prize as glitzy awards heads to India

Prince William to stage 'Children's Earthshot' Prize as glitzy awards heads to India Prince William has shared his plans for a 'Children's Earthshot Prize' with Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, which will be held in India next month Prince William has launched a brand new Earthshot Prize for children - just weeks before travelling to India for environmental awards. The Prince of Wales has shared with his children plans for a young people’s Earthshot when he travels to Mumbai for the star-studded event next month, with the Princess of Wales expected to join him. It is understood that William has discussed with his three children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, how, through a 'Children’s Earthshot', youngsters will be involved with his new project, which aims to find, reward and scale up ideas to 'repair' the planet. Alongside the global finalists, children across India were encouraged to tackle environmental issues as part of the 'I CAN Earthshot Challenge'. The initiative invited nine to 17-year-olds to look beyond environmental awareness and take meaningful action, with entries ranging from tackling a waterlogged playground to combatting oil and solid-waste pollution in the Godavari River. It has been the biggest youth outreach programme in the Earthshot Prize’s history, reaching one million young people in 15,000 schools across 24 states in India. Now, 15 teams have been selected to take part in two days of events, from presentations to workshops, in Mumbai, culminating in winning entries receiving 2,000 dollars (£1,490) to develop and implement their ideas. The finalists will also be hosted at a Children’s Earthshot Awards Ceremony on November 17 at Mumbai’s Museum of Solutions. Jason Knauf, Earthshot’s chief executive officer, said: “The extraordinary ingenuity shown by these young finalists demonstrates that the next generation is not waiting for the future to act; it is already building environmental solutions right now. “As we prepare to host The Earthshot Prize Summit in Mumbai, these remarkable children remind us that local community action, driven by youthful optimism and determination, is vital to repairing our planet. We can’t wait to celebrate them in Mumbai for our biggest edition yet.” In Mumbai next month, William will meet Bollywood stars as he learns about India’s hugely popular film industry, play with cricketing royalty and preside over the Earthshot Prize Awards ceremony awarding £5million in prize money. Bollywood filmmaker Karan Johar will present the glittering awards ceremony in Mumbai, which will be the sixth annual edition of prize of the 10-year project and is dedicated to solving our planet’s greatest environmental challenges. Last month, the 15 finalists vying for one of five £1million prizes to scale up their ideas to help save the planet were announced. Among the main finalists this year are Orsted, the Danish renewable energy company behind some of the world ’s largest offshore wind projects, Mahindra Last Mile Mobility, which produces electric tuk-tuks in India and Yellowstone to Yukon, which is reconnecting a vast mountain landscape across Canada and the US so wildlife can once again move freely. Since its launch in 2021, William has managed to attract a host of stars to his cause, from Hollywood names Leonardo DiCaprio, Matthew McConaughey and Cate Blanchett to broadcaster and naturalist Sir David Attenborough and former prime minister of New Zealand Jacinda Ardern. The initiative was inspired by former US President John F Kennedy’s Moonshot project, which set scientists the challenge of placing an astronaut on the moon and returning him safely – and in the process helped advance mankind’s achievements.