EMEC starts search for Earthshot Prize nominations

The search for the 2022 winners of the Earthshot Prize has begun, with the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) appointed as official nominator for the initiative.

Launched in 2020 by Prince William and Sir David Attenborough, the Earthshot Prize is said to be the most prestigious global environment prize in history, aiming to find new solutions to the world’s biggest environmental problems.

Five £1 million prizes will be awarded each year for the next 10 years, providing at least 50 solutions to the world’s greatest environmental problems by 2030.

The Earthshot Prize aims to inspire a decade of action, convening the environmental world with funders, businesses and individuals to maximize impact, take solutions to scale, celebrate the people and places driving change, and inspire people all over the world to work together to repair the planet.

EMEC has been invited to join the list of official nominators following a visit to Orkney by Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, in May 2021 when the royals were introduced to some of the world-leading decarbonization innovations taking place in Orkney.

As an official nominator, EMEC is one of over 300 organisations from around the world, invited to identify the most impactful solutions, from grassroots to businesses, and submit nominations across the five Earthshot categories: Protect and restore nature; Clean our air; Revive our oceans; Build a waste-free world; and Fix our climate.

EMEC has been asked to nominate individuals, communities, businesses and organisations whose solutions make tangible progress towards achieving the five Earthshots.

Solutions should be beyond idea stage, have been tested in-field or with target audiences, and are at a ‘tipping point’ for scaling their impact within the next five years, according to EMEC.

In 2022, additional weighting is being put on preventative solutions that provide an alternative to approaches that cause harm to the environment and address the source of the problem, the center noted, stressing that nominations can only be submitted to the Earthshot Prize by official nominators.

EMEC will evaluate all applications submitted and, following internal review, will submit the most impactful applications to the Earthshot evaluation committee.

After the submission of nominations to the Earthshot Prize, they will be screened as part of a rigorous assessment process, culminating in selection of five winners by the Earthshot Prize Council.

Finalists and winners are given an incredible platform to amplify their work, as well as tailored support from The Earthshot Prize and its network of NGOs, businesses, governments, funders and expert mentors. The five winners also receive a one-of-a-kind award and a £1 million grant to scale their impact.

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