Billie Eilish to headline Prince William’s Earthshot Prize awards
Billie Eilish will lead the line-up for the Prince of Wales’s Earthshot Prize awards ceremony.
The Prince and Princess of Wales will fly to the United States this week for a three-day trip that culminates on Friday with the staging of the awards he founded to discover and scale up environmental solutions to repair the planet.
Eilish, who is outspoken about climate change, will headline the entertainment at the ceremony in the city of Boston, which also features Annie Lennox, Ellie Goulding and Beyonce proteges Chloe x Halle.
A royal source said: “The prize has become the prince’s Superbowl moment of the year, and he looks forward to continuing to use the platform each year to shine a light on some of the most impactful projects doing amazing things around the world to save our planet’s future.”
Among the 15 finalists vying for the £1m awarded to each of the five category winners of the Earthshot Prize are a cleaner-burning stove initiative in Kenya and a bubble barrier made in the Netherlands to prevent plastics entering oceans.
There are also finalists from the UK for the first time, with two British entries being selected.
Notpla Hard Material, a start-up run by Pierre Paslier and Rodrigo Garcia Gonzalez in London, makes packaging from seaweed and plants as an alternative to single-use plastic.
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It has already produced more than a million biodegradable takeaway food boxes for Just Eat.
Low Carbon Materials, based in County Durham, uses unrecyclable plastic waste to make traditional concrete blocks carbon-zero.
The royal source said: “Inclusivity is a key part of the Earthshot’s mission. This year’s nominees are drawn from all corners of the planet, truly showcasing the best of human ingenuity. From indigenous leadership in Australia to female-led solutions in Kenya, diverse stories and solutions are at the heart of the prize.
“Inclusivity will be a key part of the wider trip too – during our time in Boston, the prince and princess will meet Boston-based indigenous leaders.”
Broadcaster Sir David Attenborough will narrate the opening of the show while Oscar-winning actress and Earthshot judging panel member Cate Blanchett will voice a lookback at last year’s winners.
Actor Rami Malek, who played singer Freddie Mercury in the biopic Bohemian Rhapsody, will present an award at the MGM Music Hall as will Home Alone actress Catherine O’Hara and environmental activist and activist Shailene Woodley.
Malek said: “The 15 finalists of this year’s Earthshot Prize are deeply inspiring. They are dedicating their lives to building solutions that will repair our planet, and I can’t wait to present an award to one of the incredible Winners for 2022.”
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Lennox said: “The urgent need to protect and restore our Earth’s damaged environmental systems is essential for future survival. The objective of the Earthshot Prize is powerful in terms of building a waste-free world and reviving our oceans. I’m therefore honoured to lend my voice in support of this ambitious mission.”
