Mumbai has been selected to host The Earthshot Prize 2026, the globally renowned environmental award established by Prince William.
The announcement came today at a special event held during the Indian city’s first-ever Climate Action Week.
The awards ceremony, scheduled for November, will see five environmental innovators each receive £1 million to expand their planet-saving initiatives.
Environmental and business leaders, alongside investors and philanthropists driving change, will gather in the megacity for the celebration.
Mumbai has been selected to host The Earthshot Prize 2026, the globally renowned environmental award established by Prince William.
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Prince William founded the prize in 2020 to encourage urgent environmental action and optimism.
Mumbai’s selection reflects India’s growing prominence in climate and nature efforts, with the country demonstrating that protecting the environment can simultaneously fuel economic development.
Prince William expressed his enthusiasm for the choice of host city, stating: “We must continue to look to the future with urgency and optimism, which is why I am delighted that Mumbai will host The Earthshot Prize 2026.”
The royal highlighted India’s significance in the global environmental movement, describing the nation as “one of the world’s most important forces for climate and nature” and noting that successful initiatives there could “inspire progress everywhere.”
The Prince of Wales founded the prize in 2020 to encourage urgent environmental action and optimism.
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He also pointed to India’s demographic advantage, remarking: “With the largest population of young people in the world, there is a real sense of momentum to not only imagine a better future, but to inspire change and make it a reality.”
The prince emphasised the collective goal of repairing and restoring the planet by 2030.
Maharashtra’s Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis welcomed the announcement, declaring: “The Earthshot Prize is the world’s most prestigious environmental award and I’m proud to announce that it will be hosted in Mumbai in November.”
He stressed that sustainability and climate action remain central priorities for the state, adding that the prize “will create global attention for India’s leadership and commitment to turning our goals into meaningful action on the ground.”
India’s track record with the award is unmatched, boasting more Earthshot Prize winners and finalists than any other nation. Previous Indian finalists attended the announcement event, sharing insights on how they are expanding their solutions to help restore the planet.
The prince emphasised the collective goal of repairing and restoring the planet by 2030.
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The Earthshot Prize draws its inspiration from President John F. Kennedy’s 1962 “Moonshot” challenge, which aimed to put a man on the moon within a decade.
Prince William launched the initiative in 2020 to generate a similar collective ambition for environmental causes.
This year’s competition will highlight 15 pioneering environmental solutions across five categories: Protect and Restore Nature; Clean our Air; Revive our Oceans; Build a Waste-Free World; and Fix our Climate. These categories were developed with input from leading environmental experts.
Five years into what organisers call the “Earthshot decade,” the prize has uncovered more than 5,600 emerging environmental innovations from 156 countries.
The initiative has recognised 75 finalists and distributed £25 million to winners for scaling their solutions.