NEED TO KNOW
- Prince William has announced who will join him at this year’s Earthshot Prize ceremony in Rio de Janeiro
- The awards evening, on Nov. 5, will honor the next cohort of winners of his environmental initiative
- The Prince of Wales is halfway through his decade of action to find solutions to the world’s pressing global challenges
Prince William’s Earthshot Prize awards are heading to Brazil, and this year’s starry lineup has just been revealed.
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Matthew McConaughey has added his star power in the countdown to the annual Earthshot Prize awards in Rio de Janeiro by narrating a trailer for the awards evening, which will see Australian pop sensation Kylie Minogue and singer Shawn Mendes join Prince William on the night of Nov. 5.
McConaughey filmed a special action trailer showcasing the work of the 15 finalists, who are vying for $1.3 million prizes to back their ideas to help the planet. “When the stakes are highest, that’s when heroes rise,” McConaughey says in his voiceover to the film.
The awards evening is the culmination of three days of events in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
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In a statement looking ahead to her appearance on the night, Minogue said, “Brazil — I’m coming back. It’s a privilege and honor to be part of the Earthshot Prize in Rio, on stage with the people and the ideas that could save our planet.”
The star-studded lineup also includes music icon Gilberto Gil, who will be performing a collaboration with Grammy nominee Anitta. Hosting the evening is Brazilian broadcaster Luciano Huck, and Brazilian soccer star Cafu is also joining the show.
Jason Knauf, CEO of The Earthshot Prize, said, “With two weeks to go, we are thrilled to announce the support of global artists, performers, and exceptional Brazilian talent, joining us in Rio. We will welcome to Brazil a host of global leaders, innovators, entrepreneurs, and young people from around the world, who share our ambition and optimism, and we can’t wait to reveal our winners on 5 November in what is set to be the greatest Earthshot yet.”
On Oct. 11, Gisele Bündchen joined the roster as a judge for the next cohort of winners.
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The Earthshot Prize seeks to recognize groundbreaking ideas and innovations to heal the planet, awarding leaders, entrepreneurs and businesses in five categories: Protect and Restore Nature, Clean Our Air, Revive Our Oceans, Build a Waste-Free World and Fix Our Climate. Each winner receives $1.3 million, providing them with the support needed to scale their ideas.
Rio is the fifth year of the prize, a halfway point in what the Prince and his team say is a critical decade to find solutions to the world’s problems before it is too late.
The ideas will counter some of the harmful effects of climate change or plastics in the seas. Previous awards have been held in London in 2021, Boston in 2022 and Singapore in 2023, before last year’s event in Cape Town, South Africa. There, William was joined by celebrities including model and TV host Heidi Klum, Dancing with the Stars contestant and conservationist Robert Irwin and actor Billy Porter for the ceremony.
This year’s 15 finalists were announced by Prince William on Oct. 4.
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William arrives in Rio on Nov. 3 and will attend several Rio events surrounding the ceremony before heading to the UN climate conference in Belém, Brazil, on Nov. 6. His wife, Kate Middleton, is not attending this year’s ceremony.
