UWI invites applications for prestigious, £1 million Earth Shot Prize

The UWI Regional Headquarters, Jamaica. Friday, February 11, 2022 — The search for the winners of The Earthshot Prize 2022 is underway and The University of the West Indies (The UWI) is inviting applications from staff, students, alumni, NGOs and other stakeholders from across the Caribbean.

Launched by Prince William and The Royal Foundation in 2020, The Earthshot Prize is the most prestigious global environment prize in history, designed to incentivise, change and help repair our planet over a decade. It’s centred around five ‘Earthshots’: Protect and Restore Nature; Clean our Air; Revive our Oceans; Build a Waste-free World and Fix our Climate. These five are simple but ambitious goals for our planet, which if achieved by 2030, will improve life for us all for generations to come. 

Each year, between 2021 and 2030, five new Earthshot Prize category winners will receive £1 million to support the adoption, replication, and scaling of their environmental and conservation projects.  Nominations will be assessed in terms of the inspiring stories behind them, their inclusivity, equity and benefits for humans, their impact on the Earthshots, and the ability for this impact to be scaled.

Pro Vice-Chancellor for Global Affairs, Dr. Stacy Richards Kennedy, commented that “The UWI is recognised globally as an SDG-engaged university and leader in climate action and is indeed proud to have been selected as an Official Nominator for the EarthShot Prize alongside some 343 official nominators from across 80 countries.”

According to the organisers, Official Nominators are selected for their ability to identify the most impactful solutions to the five Earthshots across all countries and sectors, from grassroots and Indigenous communities to businesses and governments.

The UWI’s Office of Global Affairs is leading this partnership with EarthShot through its Sustainable Futures Team, in collaboration with the University’s recently-launched virtual hub, the Global Institute for Climate-Smart and Resilient Development. 

Interested persons are asked to contact gpsf@sta.uwi.edu OR visit https://uwi.edu/oga/the-earthshot-prize to complete the application form.  The deadline for submitting applications to The UWI is February 28, 2022.