Mumbai is set to make history as the host city for The Earthshot Prize 2026, and Karan Johar will serve as the awards night host. The announcement was made on September 18, 2026, through a joint video shared by the official Earthshot Prize social media handles, Karan Johar, and the Prince and Princess of Wales. The ceremony will take place on November 17, 2026, marking the first time the global environmental award is held in India.
Johar becomes the first Indian to host the Earthshot Prize Awards Night. The event will recognize 15 finalists from around the world, with five winners each receiving £1 million to scale their environmental solutions. This year’s finalists were selected from nearly 7,000 nominations submitted across 169 countries.
Karan Johar and Prince William Share the Announcement
In a video posted on September 18, 2026, Karan Johar and Prince William are seen chatting about bringing the Earthshot Prize to Mumbai. The two discuss the significance of hosting the awards in India for the first time. The video also teases the 15 finalists and 5 winners who will be celebrated at the ceremony.
The official Instagram caption read: “Mumbai here we come! Excited to reveal the 2026 Earthshot Prize Finalists: the inspirational leaders from around the world tackling some of the most pressing challenges facing our planet.” It continued, “Learn about all of this year’s Finalists from today, and join us this November for the 2026 Earthshot Prize Awards Night, where we’ll celebrate this year’s incredible Finalists and Winners.”
Karan Johar Calls It a Moment of Immense Pride
Karan Johar shared his thoughts on hosting the awards in an official statement. “To be the first Indian to host The Earthshot Prize Awards Night is a moment of immense pride for me, and to do so in Mumbai makes it all the more meaningful,” he said.
He drew a parallel between cinema and environmental innovation. “In cinema, we imagine new worlds. The innovators celebrated by Earthshot are showing us how to build a better one. That is what makes HRH Prince William’s vision so compelling: it gives us not just reasons to hope, but ideas we can act on.”
Johar also praised Prince William’s dedication to climate action in an interview with PEOPLE. He described the prince’s passion for the cause as “infectious” and said, “Someone of his stature, someone of his power in the world, for him to take on a cause, relentlessly and effortlessly and with so much passion, really makes all the difference.”
He added, “Many people provide lip service about it, but very few people really act on it, and he is that man who is acting on it every day of his life.” Johar noted that the world needs “many more Prince Williams” to take on climate change.
Prince William Welcomes Finalists to Mumbai
Prince William, Founder and President of The Earthshot Prize, also shared a statement about the upcoming ceremony. “Every year, our Finalists give me renewed optimism. They show us that, even as the environmental challenges remain urgent, extraordinary people around the world are already proving that progress is possible.”
He added, “Seeing solutions work gives us all confidence to act. When they succeed, they inspire others and accelerate change. I’m proud to welcome these 15 Finalists to the Earthshot Prize community and look forward to celebrating their stories in Mumbai this November.”
Speaking exclusively to the BBC, Prince William called for greater urgency. “We’re not moving fast enough,” he said. “We need more businesses, investors and leaders to step up, back what works and help bring these solutions to scale.”
The Earthshot Prize Summit and Awards Night
The Earthshot Prize Summit will unfold over two days in Mumbai. The gathering will bring together leaders, innovators, businesses, funders and communities from across the world. The focus will be on connecting people and ideas while helping promising environmental solutions get the backing they need to grow and make a wider impact.
The summit will lead into the sixth Earthshot Prize Awards Night on November 17, 2026. Fifteen finalists will be recognized at the ceremony, with five ultimately named as the 2026 Winners. Each winner will receive £1 million to help take their work further, expand their solutions and reach more communities.
India’s Connection to the Earthshot Prize
India has a strong connection to the Earthshot Prize. The country is home to more Earthshot Prize Winners and Finalists than any other nation. Bringing the ceremony to Mumbai further strengthens that connection.
Two finalists from India are among the 15 recognized this year. Mahindra Last Mile Mobility is a leading manufacturer of electric three-wheelers. Mahila Housing Trust is a grassroots organization pioneering climate resilience initiatives for low-income women.
Mumbai was announced as the host city in February 2026 during the inaugural Mumbai Climate Week. Prince William said at the time, “India is one of the world’s most important forces for climate and nature. What succeeds in India at scale has the power to inspire progress everywhere.”
The Earthshot Prize Categories and Impact
The Earthshot Prize was founded by Prince William in 2020, inspired by President John F. Kennedy’s 1962 “Moonshot” to land a man on the moon within a decade. The Prize aims to spark the same spirit of collective ambition and action for the planet.
Fifteen finalists are selected each year across five categories developed with leading environmental experts: Protect and Restore Nature, Clean our Air, Revive our Oceans, Build a Waste-Free World, and Fix our Climate. Five winners, one from each category, each receive £1 million to scale their solutions.
Now five years into the Earthshot decade, the Prize has identified more than 5,600 emerging environmental innovations from 156 countries. It has recognized and supported 75 Finalists and awarded £25 million to Prize Winners to scale their solutions. Earthshot Prize Finalists have already protected and restored over 1 million square kilometres of land and oceans, an area nearly twice the size of France, and stopped 250,000 tonnes of waste.
Internet Reacts to the Surprising Collaboration
The announcement of Karan Johar as host drew an enthusiastic response online. Fans expressed surprise and excitement in the comments. One user wrote, “Was not expecting Johar to be part of this! Can’t wait to see Prince William and Princess Catherine in Mumbai!”
Another commented, “Brilliant work! inspiring and positive.” A third user admitted, “Karan Johar with Prince William was not on my 2026 bingo card, can’t wait for the Earthshot prize 2026 Mumbai it’s going to be massive hit!”
Another fan added, “Absolutely incredible projects as always.” The excitement reflects the unique pairing of Bollywood’s biggest host with the British Royal Family’s flagship environmental initiative.
You May Also Like:
Finalists Include Cities and Community Initiatives
The 15 finalists for 2026 include a diverse range of projects. The entire city of Barcelona was recognized for its efforts to safeguard its Mediterranean coastline. The city’s architects were praised for “turning one of Europe’s most intensively used urban coastlines into a global blueprint for climate adaptation.”
The Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan was also selected. The prize recognized how the country has embedded environmental protection into its national identity and constitution. Bhutan demonstrated “how a small nation’s forests can safeguard water security across an entire region.”
Other finalists include Indigenous ranger teams in Australia and an Argentinian artificial intelligence-powered wildfire detection and alert platform. The finalists represent a range of community-led initiatives tackling waste reduction, nature restoration, and clean energy.
The Earthshot Prize Council, which selects the winners, includes Prince William alongside Queen Rania al-Abdullah of Jordan, actress Cate Blanchett, and chef José Andrés. Prince William told the BBC, “The solutions are here. The challenge now is scale. The progress is real. Now we need to accelerate it. That’s exactly why The Earthshot Prize exists.”
Stay tuned to VvipTimes for more updates on The Earthshot Prize 2026 and your favorite entertainment news.
Leave a Reply