Prince William is preparing for his “Superbowl moment” — his annual star-studded Earthshot Prize Awards ceremony, which promises to be even bigger (and greener!) this year. A vast, reusable Superdome arena will seat 2,000 people for the fourth iteration of the Prince of Wales’ Earthshot Prize Awards, the centerpiece of William’s visit to South Africa, which begins Monday, Nov. 4. The green carpet at this year’s event is set to be the longest ever seen, organizers predict.
It is on that carpet in Cape Town, South Africa, on Wednesday, Nov. 6, that perhaps the biggest impact will be had: The Earthshot Prize hopes to highlight how fast fashion has brought damaging consequences to Africa, where millions of garments are buried in landfills every year.
Hosted by Nigerian TV presenter Ebuka Obi-Uchendu and South African rapper and host Nomuzi Mabena, the 90-minute pre-show green carpet, which is being broadcast live on YouTube for the first time, will have a focus on dressing to celebrate sustainably, says Hannah Jones, CEO of The Earthshot Prize.
Fashion is one of the priority areas where The Earthshot Prize is looking for solutions to green the industry, which Jones says is responsible for 10% of all global carbon emissions and creates a huge waste footprint. It is a big issue in Ghana, where one of this year’s finalists, Green Africa Youth Organization, are working to keep waste out of landfills through innovative methods.
The Earthshot Prize has five key categories: Protect and Restore Nature, Clean Our Air, Revive Our Oceans, Build a Waste-Free World and Fix Our Climate. The awards ceremony is described by William’s aides as his annual “Superbowl moment.”
Inside the Superdome — which, in keeping with the event’s sustainability theme, has already been used in many events across Africa — the show will be hosted by Billy Porter and South African television presenter Bonang Matheba. Actress Nina Dobrev and model and TV host Heidi Klum are among the presenters.
“I think you will see a lot more dancing in the event than you did before,” Jones adds.
The show has a particular focus on Gen Z this year, and they will infuse “urgent optimism into the global narrative … and spark the world’s imagination with an invitation to young people to join the climate creativity movement, solving the world’s problems one creative solution at a time,” according to Jones.
READ:Prince William’s Groundbreaking Documentary: How to Watch in the U.K. and U.S.
She says their “guiding principal has been by Africa, for Africa to the world,” and it will be shown live across Africa on Multi-Choice for the first time and broadcast live on Earthshot Prize’s YouTube channel and on BBC iplayer in the U.K.
It will be a poignant first trip to the continent for The Earthshot Prize, as it was on a trip to Namibia in 2018 that William was “inspired by projects which were working to protect their environment and support local communities,” says a Kensington Palace spokesperson. “The prince was frustrated by the pessimism and despair of the global debate and wanted to find a way to spotlight and scale the innovative solutions he was seeing on the ground.”
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