Five Earthshot Prize finalists each won £1 million to help scale their impact.
Earthshot Awards ceremony host Bonang Matheba and American actor and singer Billy Porter had no shortage of chemistry and friendship on and off stage.
While walking on the green carpet, Porter introduced Maceba to award founder Prince William, but not before the Emmy, Grammy and Tony Award winner made sure to fix Maceba's dress.
Everyone needs a wingman like this @Billy Porter_ Who fixed the drapes? @bonang The dress she wore before meeting Prince William on the green carpet at the Earthshot Awards. pic.twitter.com/hQjEmfUvLO
— Craig Jacobs (@craigbjacobs) November 6, 2024
Even on stage, the pair treated the awards, held in Cape Town, with the requisite courtesy, and Porter's playful personality shined through at the awards ceremony, which honors those who have made meaningful change in the world. brought about the
Also read: As Prince William heads to Cape Town, the Earthshot Prize feels like something of a homecoming
earthshot award
Since Monday, Earthshot Week has celebrated this year's 15 Earthshot Prize finalists from around the world, highlighting the growth of exciting climate innovations across the African continent.
At Wednesday night's Earthshot Prize ceremony, five of the 2024 Earthshot Prize finalists won £1 million each to support their efforts to expand their impact and accelerate the scaling up of their solutions. I did.
“What! Can I be a finalist? I need a million dollars, or pounds,” Porter said after Mashiba explained the evening's content to the audience in attendance.
Porter's joke left Western Cape Premier Alan Winde and outgoing Multiple Choice Commission Chairman Imtiaz Patel in stitches.
The night featured performances by Lebo M, Uncle Waffles and Ndlovu Youth Choir, with Nigerian pop star Davido also in attendance.
The green carpet pre-show was hosted live by media personalities Ebuka Obi Uchendu and Nomuzi Mabena.
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purpose of the night
The Earthshot Prize was established by Prince William in 2020 with the aim of exploring and scaling up the most innovative solutions to the world's biggest environmental challenges.
The idea came to William a year ago when he visited a conservation project in Namibia.
This is the first time since its inception that the Earthshot Prize has been held on the African continent. The annual environmental festival has previously been held in London, Boston and Singapore.
The award is centered around five simple but ambitious goals, called Earthshots, to ensure communities, oceans and ecosystems can thrive in harmony for generations to come.
“We believe our world can be rich in possibility, hope, and optimism. That's why the Earthshot Prize exists,” William said at the ceremony.
“To champion the game changers, inventors, makers, creators and leaders. To help them build on the great things they have already achieved. To accelerate innovation and scale, to help the next generation bring all of us together.” to inspire them to create the future they need.”
Throughout the year, a rigorous selection process identified 15 finalists from around the world, five of whom will be awarded a £1 million (R23 800) prize to help scale their solutions at a ceremony in Cape Town. ,00) was awarded.
One of the five winners, American Advanced Thermovoltaic Systems (ATS), has developed a simple, safe and scalable technology to capture waste heat and convert it into electricity.
This is an innovative solution for heavy industries such as cement and steel production.
“Winning the 2024 Earthshot Award highlights the transformative potential of our technology. Tonight is a significant moment for us as we focus on scaling production in our large-scale manufacturing facility.” said ATS CEO Kelly Adams.
Keep IT Cool (KIC) in Kenya is another winner as it tackles the challenge of food spoilage by providing sustainable local refrigeration systems to help smallholder farmers and fishermen preserve their produce. It became.
“We are grateful for the recognition from the Earthshot Awards and this is an important milestone for Keep IT Cool. We continue to strengthen market access, reduce waste and support small-scale seafood and We are building climate resilience for poultry farmers,” said Francis Nderitu, Founder and Managing Director of KIC.
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