Emma Thompson and Emma Watson Attend the Very First Earthshot Prize Awards Ceremony
On Sunday evening, the very first Earthshot Prize awards ceremony took place at Alexandra Palace in London, England, where five prestigious awards were presented, honoring those who are working to help combat climate change. Each award was presented by a celebrity guest, and the Harry Potter fans watching will have noted two rather familiar faces.
Emma Watson (Hermione Granger) and Emma Thompson (Sybill Trelawney), who both signed an open letter to climate change conference leaders last year, presented an award each. The winners receive £1 million ($1.4 million) to pursue solutions to help battle the world’s largest environmental problems.
Watson presented the Fix Our Climate award to AEM Electrolyser, which is based in Thailand and uses “renewable energy to make hydrogen by splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen.” Thompson announced the City of Milan Food Waste Hubs as the winners of the Build a Waste-Free World prize, “a city-wide initiative that has dramatically cut waste while tackling hunger.”
Our first-ever #EarthshotPrize Winners 🌏💚#EarthshotLondon2021 pic.twitter.com/T2n7ZKNtoh
— #EarthshotLondon2021 Awards (@EarthshotPrize) October 17, 2021
None of the stars flew to London, and guests were asked by the organizers to “consider the environment when choosing their outfit.”
Watson’s rare public appearance was the first time she had appeared on the red carpet since she promoted her film Little Women in late 2019. Watson wore a custom demi-couture gown from Harris Reed made from ten upcycled wedding dresses from Oxfam, paired with black Harris Reed trousers.
Thompson reused the blue suit and white trainer look that she wore when receiving her damehood in 2018. She criticized today’s culture as she made her way to the event.
If we had shown my parents how people live (today), how they will wander down the streets with a coffee cup, immediately throw it away, eat, throw away, everything throw away, they would’ve gone, ‘what’s going on?’
The name “Earthshot” is a reference to America’s “moonshot” ambition in the 1960s, which saw President John F. Kennedy pledge to get a man on the Moon within the decade.
Every year for the next ten years, the prize of £1million will be awarded to five projects. The winners of 2021’s Earthshot Prize were chosen from a short list of 15 judges, including Sir David Attenborough, actress Cate Blanchett, and singer Shakira.
The Earthshot Prize was launched by the Royal Foundation (a charity that supports the work of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge) and Prince William, and it is “the most prestigious global prize for the environment in history.”
Prince William spoke at the end of the awards, expressing his hope that those who tuned in understand more about the “urgent challenges facing our planet in this decisive decade” and Earthshot’s importance over the next ten years.
I want to say something to all the young people watching tonight. For too long, we haven’t done enough to protect the planet for your future – but Earthshot is for you. In the next ten years, we are going to act. We are going to find the solutions to repair our planet. Please keep learning, keep demanding change, and don’t give up hope. We will rise to these challenges.
It’s wonderful to see both Emma Watson and Emma Thompson supporting this amazing cause, and we can’t wait to see what the future of Earthshot has to hold!
