McGill selected as an Official Nominator for the Earthshot Prize

Fifty winners will each receive $1.7 million to develop and scale their environmental and conservation projects

The search for the winners of the Earthshot Prize 2022 has begun, and this year McGill is proud to be selected by the prize as an Official Nominator. Launched in 2020 by Prince William and The Royal Foundation, the Earthshot Prize is the most prestigious global environment prize in history, aiming to turn the current pessimism surrounding environmental issues into optimism by championing inspiring leadership and helping to scale cutting-edge solutions. By 2030, the Prize will discover 50 winners with each winner receiving one million pounds ($1.7 million) to develop and scale their idea.

As an Official Nominator, McGill is one of over 300 organizations from across the world, including four organizations in Canada, invited to submit nominations to the Earthshot Prize. Official Nominators are selected for their ability to identify the most impactful solutions across all sectors, from grassroots to businesses. Just like other established international prizes, by using nominators, the Earthshot Prize is tapping into a global network of knowledge and experience to select solutions that will make the biggest impact on the world.

“We are honoured to be selected as an Official Nominator for this visionary and historic prize,” says Debra Titone, Associate Vice-Principal, Research. “To find game-changing solutions to the world’s biggest environmental problems requires exceptional innovation and leadership. These are areas where McGill’s high-calibre research community excels.”

McGill will be nominating individuals, teams, businesses, organizations, or consortia whose solutions will make the most progress toward achieving the five Earthshots – simple but ambitious goals which, if achieved by 2030, will improve life for us all, for generations to come. Solutions should be beyond idea stage, have working prototypes or executed pilots that demonstrate the effectiveness of their solutions, have been tested in-field or with target audiences, and are at a “tipping point” for scaling their impact within the next five years.

The five Earthshot categories were inspired by the UN Sustainable Development Goals. They are the Protection and Restoration of Nature, Clean Our Air, Revive Our Oceans, Build a Waste-free World, and Fix Our Climate. There is also a “wildcard” category.

“McGillians from across the University are committed to solving the greatest challenges of our time. It is their efforts that set McGill apart as a leader in sustainability,” says Executive Director of Sustainability Francois Miller. “We are excited to showcase McGill’s best through the context of the Earthshot Prize.”

Nominations submitted by McGill will be considered as part of a rigorous selection process to determine the ultimate winners. An awards ceremony will take place in different cities across the world each year between 2021 and 2030 to award five, one-million-pound prizes, to be used to promote and develop the solutions proposed. Winners and finalists are also given a platform to amplify their work, plus tailored support from the Earthshot Prize and their network of NGOs, businesses, governments, funders and expert mentors.

For details on how to submit an expression of interest for a McGill nomination to the Earthshot Prize, please visit: https://mcgill.ca/x/JWF. You can find out more about the prize at www.earthshotprize.org.