Environment

Prince William’s Earthshot awards ceremony to be held in Boston

"This is an opportunity to shine a global spotlight on our efforts to combat climate change and demonstrate that, together, we can meet the urgency this moment demands."

By Madeleine Aitken

updated on July 21, 2022

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The second annual awards ceremony for Prince William of Britain’s Earthshot Prize — a global environmental prize to highlight and support solutions to environmental issues — will be held in Boston this December.

The Earthshot Prize was established last year with the first awards ceremony being held in London. It’s modeled after Moonshot, former president John F. Kennedy’s bid to get a man on the moon before the end of the 1960s. Similarly, Earthshot aims to bring the best solutions to climate change and other pressing environmental matters to the forefront, said prize officials, so that climate goals can be accomplished.

Mayor Michelle Wu and the City of Boston will serve as host partners along with the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation.

“It is a great tribute to President Kennedy that The Earthshot Prize will partner with the JFK Library Foundation to host the 2022 ceremony in Boston and inspire a new generation with the possibility of a sustainable future,” Ambassador Caroline Kennedy said in a statement.

It is a great honor for the city of Boston as well, Wu said in the statement. 

“This is an opportunity to shine a global spotlight on our efforts to combat climate change and demonstrate that, together, we can meet the urgency this moment demands with innovative solutions that protect our planet and future generations,” she said.

Prince William announced the location via Twitter Wednesday morning, the 53rd anniversary of the first moon landing.

There are five prizes of 1 million pounds up for grabs in five areas: protecting and restoring nature, cleaning our air, reviving our oceans, building a waste-free world, and fixing our climate. Fifteen finalists will be celebrated including the five winners. Last year’s winners included the City of Milan, Italy, for a food recovery policy redirecting food to charities and food banks and Costa Rica for reversing deforestation by paying citizens for forest restoration.