Prince William, heir to the British throne, hosted the fifth Earthshot Prize at the Museu do Amanhã in Rio de Janeiro on November 5, 2025. The ceremony awarded five innovative projects with £1 million each, including the Brazilian Re.green for forest restoration. The event featured performances by artists like Anitta and Gilberto Gil, underscoring global environmental commitment.
The Earthshot Prize ceremony, created by Prince William in 2020 through the Royal Foundation, took place at the Museu do Amanhã in downtown Rio de Janeiro and recognized solutions to environmental problems in five categories: protection and restoration of nature, air purification, ocean revitalization, waste reduction, and climate stabilization. From over 2,400 competing projects, 15 were finalists, with five winners each receiving £1 million (about 7 million reais). The total prizes amounted to 35 million reais.
In the Protection and Restoration of Nature category, the Brazilian startup Re.green, founded by Bernardo Strassburg and with CEO Thiago Picolo, won for its focus on restoring forests in the Amazon and Atlantic Forest. The company has already restored over 30,000 hectares and plans to reach 1 million, with the prize enabling restoration of another 20,000 hectares. Thiago Picolo stated: “We are proud to stand alongside such important initiatives. It is a call for all of us to unite”. Other winners include Lagos Fashion Week (World Without Waste), Friendship (Fix Our Climate), The High Seas Treaty (Revive Our Oceans), and City of Bogotá (Clean Our Air).
The Tropical Forests Fund Forever (TFFF), a federal government initiative led by Minister Marina Silva, was a finalist in the same category but did not win. TFFF aims to remunerate tropical forest preservation, allocating 20% to indigenous peoples. Marina Silva previously commented: “Being a finalist for the Earthshot Prize on the eve of COP30 is an honor that will help raise global awareness”.
William was welcomed with samba by the Beija-Flor samba school, kissed their flag, and said “Wow”, expressing admiration. In his speech, he spoke Portuguese: “Boa noite e bem-vindos”, and emphasized optimism: “Progress is possible. The stories show it is possible to create a new world. They are true heroes”. He interacted friendly with Anitta and Seu Jorge, saying he loves Brazil. Musical performances included Gilberto Gil and Anitta singing “The Girl from Ipanema”, plus Seu Jorge, Shawn Mendes, and Kylie Minogue. Sabrina Sato, presenting a category, joked: “Hi prince. I loved that you arrived early. British punctuality”.
Anitta, in a bold outfit, highlighted environmental importance for youth: “Young people need to care more about this. Balance is the word”. The event occurred during William's Brazil visit, started on November 3, before heading to Belém for COP30 on November 6.
