The Prince of Wales has announced a new Children’s Earthshot Prize, extending his global environmental award to recognise young people developing practical solutions to repair the planet. The initiative, called the I CAN Earthshot Challenge, targets young changemakers across India who are tackling environmental issues such as air pollution and food waste in their communities.
Prince William has told his three children—Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis—about the new initiative. The royal children are expected to watch the award ceremony at home, as it will be streamed on Amazon Prime for the first time.
Inaugural Challenge Finalists Announced
Today, the Earthshot Prize, in partnership with Brazilian organisation Alana and global youth movement Design for Change, announced the 15 finalists of the inaugural I CAN Earthshot Challenge. The Challenge is the biggest youth outreach initiative in The Earthshot Prize’s history, reaching nearly one million students through more than 15,000 schools across 24 Indian states, alongside an open digital platform accessible nationwide.
The initiative invited children aged 9 to 17 to move beyond environmental awareness and take meaningful action, empowering them to become part of the generation driving solutions to repair and restore the planet. The five Earthshots are: Protect and Restore Nature, Revive our Oceans, Clean our Air, Build a Waste-Free World and Fix our Climate. Children submitted their ideas between June and October.
Innovative Solutions from Young Finalists
Innovations among the finalists include a low-cost air filter that reduced AQI from approximately 160 to 98 during testing, biodegradable, oil-free diyas designed to reduce pollution in the Godavari River, and a student-led initiative that has collected nearly six tonnes of waste paper for recycling.
The finalists will travel to Mumbai this November to participate in The Children’s Earthshot, a dedicated two-day programme at the Museum of Solutions. They will present their ideas, receive feedback, and take part in workshops covering all five Earthshots.
Awards Ceremony in Mumbai
The programme will culminate in The Children’s Earthshot Awards Ceremony on Tuesday, November 17, at the Museum of Solutions, where the five winning teams—one for each Earthshot category—will be announced. Each winning team will receive a £1,500 ($2,000) grant to help further develop its solution, expand its reach and create lasting impact within its community.
Jason Knauf, CEO of The Earthshot Prize, 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,” he added.
Next month, the future King will travel to Mumbai, India, to host the sixth prize ceremony, where five new winners will be awarded £1 million each.
