A Global Call For Climate Action Comes To Mumbai With The Earthshot Prize

The Earthshot Prize, an initiative founded by Prince William to identify and accelerate solutions to the planet’s most pressing environmental challenges, is coming to India for its sixth annual edition. Scheduled to take place in Mumbai on November 16 and 17, 2026, the two-day event will bring together environmental innovators, policymakers, businesses and leaders from across the world to recognise the work being done to address the climate crisis. The annual Awards Night, on November 17, will see five winning initiatives receive £1 million each to take their solutions further.

The Prize's Purpose

Founded in 2020 by HRH Prince William and inspired by former US President John F Kennedy’s 1961 Moonshot ambition, The Earthshot Prize was conceived around a simple but pressing proposition: that the next decade must be one of action for the planet. Its underlying philosophy, expressed as ‘Urgency + Optimism = Action,’ seeks to move the conversation on climate change beyond the scale of the problem towards the solutions that could help address it. The initiative seeks to identify what can still be repaired, protected and restored.

At the heart of the Prize are five objectives, known as the Earthshots, each addressing a distinct environmental challenge. These are to Protect and Restore Nature, Clean Our Air, Revive Our Oceans, Build a Waste-free World and Fix Our Climate. Together, they form an ambitious framework for identifying practical interventions that can help repair the planet by 2030. The Prize's approach rests on the belief that the answers need not come from a single institution or country. They may emerge from indigenous communities, local entrepreneurs, research-led organisations, businesses, policymakers or technological innovations.

A Global Mission

Mumbai's selection as the host city for 2026 is significant. Previously, the Prize has travelled to Rio de Janeiro, Cape Town, Singapore, Boston and London. Its arrival in India, announced during the inaugural Mumbai Climate Week, places the country within a wider international conversation on environmental leadership. As a global megacity, Mumbai embodies the tensions that define contemporary climate action as the rapid urbanisation, infrastructure demands, pollution and the need to preserve natural ecosystems, alongside the opportunity to develop solutions that can be replicated elsewhere. India's experience in balancing economic development with environmental responsibility also makes it an important setting for the sixth edition.

The 2026 Summit and Awards will bring this conversation to the fore, with the ceremony celebrating India's environmental leadership, stewardship and culture. Serum Institute of India has been announced as the principal sponsor of the Mumbai Summit, bringing together two organisations whose work is centred on supporting innovation and its potential to improve lives at scale. The awards ceremony will culminate in the announcement of five winners, each receiving £1 million to accelerate the reach and impact of their initiatives. For audiences beyond the city, the 2026 Awards Night will be streamed exclusively on Prime Video across more than 240 countries and territories on 30 November.

Measuring Impact

The Earthshot Prize's work extends beyond its annual awards, focusing on helping environmental solutions gain the visibility, funding and partnerships needed to scale. Since its launch, its digital content has received 1.5 billion views, while its television broadcasts have reached 38 million people over five years.

Its finalists have made measurable progress across several areas. India's Gujarat air pollution cap-and-trade scheme is being replicated in two other states, with the potential to improve air quality across a region inhabited by 285 million people. Kheyti has saved more than 21 million litres of water, while S4S Technologies has supported over 10,000 women entrepreneurs. Elsewhere, Notpla has replaced more than 32 million single-use plastic units, and Build up Nepal has supported over 12,000 earthquake-resilient homes.

In 2025, the Prize reviewed more than 2,400 solutions from 124 countries, with 52 per cent based in the Global South. Bringing its sixth edition to Mumbai is therefore significant. India is not only confronting the consequences of climate change but also developing solutions with the potential to inform environmental action beyond its borders. The event offers an opportunity to bring these innovations into a wider global conversation.