Discovery Inc.

10/13/2021 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 10/13/2021 12:22

Star-studded line-up announced for The Earthshot Prize Awards Ceremony

New York, October 10th, 2021: The Earthshot Prize today announced the star-studded line up for first-ever Earthshot Prize Awards Ceremony hosted in London, to be filmed at Alexandra Palace and broadcast on BBC One, BBC iPlayer and globally on Discovery's Facebook page on Sunday October 17th.

Through incredible performances, stunning story-telling, and state-of-the-art technology, this one-hour ceremony will focus on turning the current pessimism surrounding environmental issues into optimism by celebrating the people and places driving change - the first-ever Earthshot Prize Finalists and Winners.

Created by Prince William and The Royal Foundation, The Earthshot Prize has led an unprecedented global search for the most inspiring and innovative solutions to the greatest environmental challenges facing the planet.

Five inaugural winners of The Earthshot Prize will be announced at the most sustainable awards ceremony in BBC history, which will celebrate the ingenuity of all 15 Earthshot Prize Finalists and their extraordinary work to tackle the challenges posed by climate change and the threats to our oceans, air, and land.

Hosted by Clara Amfo and Dermot O'Leary, the evening's event will be introduced by Prince William. It will also feature Sir David Attenborough, who will speak about the importance of The Earthshot Prize and his optimism in our ability to rise to the greatest environmental challenges of our time.

The ceremony will feature unforgettable performances from globally renowned artists Ed Sheeran, Coldplay, KSI and Yemi Alade, and Shawn Mendes. Coldplay's performance, from outside of Alexandra Palace, will use energy powered by 60 cyclists.

The five winners of The Earthshot Prize will be announced by a line-up of presenters including The Duchess of Cambridge, Emma Thompson, Emma Watson, David Oyelowo and Mo Salah. Each winning solution will be awarded £1million in Prize funding to help support and scale these ingenious innovations, with the potential to repair our planet.

Clara Amfo said: "I'm delighted to be co-hosting the inaugural Earthshot Prize Ceremony. We're at a critical time in our planet's history, our habits are changing slowly but surely however, we can always learn and - most importantly - do more. I hope this inspiring award boosts us to continue to do better by our glorious earth. The individuals being honoured are truly pioneering and will make a long-lasting difference. I look forward to us all feeling energised and ready to join them in improving life for all of us."

Dermot O'Leary said: "I am incredibly excited to be hosting the inaugural Earthshot Prize Awards Ceremony. I have been so inspired by the 15 finalists and the ground-breaking work that they have all been doing. Their innovation encourages hope for future generations and our planet, it is wonderful to be a part of such a major push for change."

Jason Knauf, CEO The Royal Foundation said: "The Earthshot Prize has been designed to celebrate our finalists as the visionary leaders that they are. The blockbuster roster of artists, athletes, and presenters that have signed on for our inaugural awards show proves just how much excitement there is for optimistic action to rise to the great challenges of our time. This will be an award show unlike any you've seen before that will entertain you and inspire you to take action to repair the planet in this decisive decade. The ceremony will cap an unprecedented two-week period of programming across radio, tv and digital that we believe is among the most innovative ever created on the environment. We are so grateful to our partners at Discovery and the BBC for their support of the Earthshot mission."

Jack Bootle, BBC Head of Commissioning, Science and Natural History, said: "I'm delighted that the BBC is broadcasting the first ever Earthshot Prize Awards Ceremony. With the world about to descend on Glasgow for COP26, there couldn't be a more critical time to be celebrating the fight against climate change. The ceremony promises to be an evening of excitement, music and stardust - and the winners might just go on to change the world!"

Nancy Daniels, Chief Brand Officer, Discovery and Factual said: "As we all grapple with the continued need to help protect Planet Earth, Discovery is proud to provide a global platform to celebrate those who make it their life's mission."

A truly global event, anchored in London, the ceremony will connect the proceedings at Alexandra Palace with the Finalists and Winners all over the world. The event will be a celebration of the natural world, with a stunning set designed by world-renowned set designer Peter Bingemann.

The ceremony follows the release of THE EARTHSHOT PRIZE: REPAIRING OUR PLANET highlighting the innovative work of the 15 Earthshot Prize finalists as they provide solutions to help change the course of our Planet Earth's health. The five-part series is currently available globally on discovery+, airing on Discovery Channel on October 16, and in the UK on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

The Earthshot Prize - London 2021 is made by BBC Studios Productions and will be broadcast on BBC One and iPlayer at 8pm BST, and streamed globally on the Discovery's Facebook page on 17th October 2021.

ENDS

A promotional photo featuring Prince William, Clara Amfo and Dermot O'Leary has also been released today. It was taken last month at Kensington Palace.

The image is available via wetransfer link here.

Credit Kensington Palace

Photo Courtesy: Discovery

NOTES TO EDITORS

For more information about The Earthshot Prize, visit www.earthshotprize.org.

Email [email protected]

A detailed media pack, including visual assets and background on each of the Finalists can be downloaded here.

About The Earthshot Prize:

The Earthshot Prize is the most prestigious environmental prize in history, launched in October 2020 by Prince William and designed and incubated by The Royal Foundation, an organisation which mobilises leaders, businesses and people so that together we can address society's greatest challenges. Led by The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, The Royal Foundation's work is built on world-class research, long-term partnerships, and measurable, scalable impact.

The Earthshot Prize is designed to incentivise change and help to repair our planet over the next ten years. The Prize is backed by The Earthshot Prize Council, a global team of influential individuals, who will be responsible for awarding The Earthshot Prize every year from 2021 until 2030.

The Earthshot Prize is centred around five 'Earthshot' goals: Protect and Restore Nature; Clean our Air; Revive our Oceans; Build a Waste-Free World; and Fix our Climate. 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 landmark documentary series The Earthshot Prize: Repairing Our Planet is available globally on discovery+ and in the UK on the BBC. It features Prince William, Sir David Attenborough and other members of the Earthshot Prize Council Members including:

  • Dani Alves- professional footballer (Brazil) features in Ep 1, Protect and Restore Nature;
  • Christiana Figueres(Costa Rica), Co-founder of Global Optimism, former UN Climate Chief responsible for delivery of the landmark Paris Agreement on Climate Change in ep 2, Fix Our Climate;
  • Naoko Yamazaki- former astronaut onboard the International Space Station (Japan) features in ep 3, Clean Our Air;
  • Shakira Mebarak- singer and philanthropist (Colombia) features in ep 4, Revive Our Oceans;

Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim (Chad), co-chair of the Indigenous People's Forum on Climate Change at the UN features in ep 5, Build A Waste-Free World.