Daily Mail

That’s capital! Wills’ glitzy London ceremony for £1million eco award

- By Mario Ledwith

A STAR-STUDDED awards ceremony for Prince William’s inaugural Earthshot Prize will be held in London later this year.

Described as the ‘most prestigiou­s global environmen­tal award in history’, the event will see winners handed £1million for an idea to protect the planet.

The ceremony at north London’s Alexandra Palace will be broadcast on BBC One and around the world on October 17 – with organisers promising a high-profile bill and unique musical collaborat­ions.

The winners will be chosen by William and a council including actress Cate Blanchett and Sir David Attenborou­gh – who the royal cited as an inspiratio­n.

Over 200 so- called ‘nominators’ have spent six months searching for suitable environmen­tal and conservati­on projects to benefit from the prize money.

Five winners will be chosen from a shortlist of 15, which could include scientists, activists, economists, government­s, banks, businesses and even countries.

There are five categories with an award given to an idea that protects and restores nature, cleans our air, revives our oceans, builds a waste-free world and fixes our climate. It is hoped the prize money will eventually see the ideas rolled out across the world. The prize, launched through the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s Royal Foundation last October, plans to hand out a total of £50million in annual ceremonies until 2030.

William said: ‘London is a fantastic location to showcase this leadership, spotlight the finalists and award our very first Earthshot Prize winners.

‘The ceremony will be a truly global event, connecting people from all over the world to celebrate these inspiring leaders and their innovation­s to solve the world’s greatest environmen­tal challenges.’

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