Five entries have been announced as the winners of the 2024 Earthshot Prize for their impactful, inspiring and inclusive environmental solutions at a star-studded awards ceremony in Cape Town, South Africa.
The winners were selected from this year’s 15 Earthshot finalists and will be awarded £1 million each to accelerate their solutions in the event hosted by Emmy, Grammy and Tony Award winner Billy Porter and award-winning television presenter Bonang Matheba.
Prince William selected the winners of the 2024 Prize cohort with The Earthshot Prize Council, a diverse group of experts, advocates and individuals dedicated to championing urgent and innovative action to protect our planet.
The council chaired by The Earthshot Prize Board of Trustees Chair, Christiana Figueres. Members of the council include: His Royal Highness Prince William, Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah, José Andrés, Sir David Attenborough, Cate Blanchett, Ernest Gibson, Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim, Wanjira Mathai, Stella McCartney, Nemonte Nenquimo, Luisa Neubauer, Indra Nooyi, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and Naoko Yamazaki.
The winners emerged from five categories, namely Fix Our Climate: Advanced Thermovoltaic Systems; Revive Our Oceans: High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People; Build a Waste-Free World: Keep IT Cool; climate: Advanced Thermovoltaic Systems; Revive Our Oceans: High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People; Build a Waste-Free World: Keep IT Cool; Protect and Restore Nature: Altyn Dala Conservation Initiative; Clean Our Air: Green Africa Youth Organisation (GAYO)
In addition to the five £1 million prizes supporting the growth of winners’ solutions, each of the 15 Earthshot Prize Finalists will receive dedicated mentorship, resources and technical support through the year-long Earthshot Prize Fellowship Programme.
Speaking during the Awards Ceremony, Prince William, said: “I believe our world can be rich in possibility, in hope, and in optimism. That is why The Earthshot Prize exists. To champion the game-changers, the inventors, the makers, the creatives, the leaders; to help them build upon the amazing things they’ve already achieved; to speed their innovations to scale and to inspire the next generation to create the future we all need.”
The prize is a global environmental prize and platform designed to discover, accelerate and scale groundbreaking solutions to repair and regenerate the planet. Inspired by President John F. Kennedy’s Moonshot, which united millions of people around the goal of reaching the moon.
The Earthshot Prize aims to catalyse an Earthshot challenge to urgently encourage and scale innovative 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.
Essentially, Advanced Thermovoltaic Systems (ATS) has developed a simple, safe and scalable technology to capture waste heat and convert it into electricity, offering a game-changing solution for heavy industries like cement and steel production. These industries require extremely high temperatures, which generate vast amounts of waste heat that is typically lost. ATS’s technologies have the potential to save gigatonnes of CO2.
“At ATS, we lead the way in converting this waste into clean, usable electricity. Winning the 2024 Earthshot Prize underscores the transformative potential of our technology. Tonight is a key moment for us as we focus on scaling up production in larger manufacturing facilities,” according to CEO, Advanced Thermovoltaic Systems, Kelly Adams.
Also, Keep IT Cool (KIC) addresses the challenge of food spoilage by providing sustainable, localised refrigeration systems that help small farmers and fishers preserve their produce. By installing solar-powered cold storage units where fish are landed, KIC significantly reduces spoilage and waste by ensuring the catch stays fresh and managing its transport to market. With plans to grow into East Africa and beyond, KIC is now working to expand their activities in poultry, fruit and vegetables and aims to bring their solution to more communities.
Founder and Managing Director of Keep IT Cool, Francis Nderitu, said, “We are on a mission to revolutionise the food supply chain in East Africa. We are grateful for the recognition from The Earthshot Prize, and it is an important milestone for Keep IT Cool. We will continue to enhance market access, reduce waste and build climate resilience for small-scale fish and poultry farmers throughout the region.”