Earthshot Prize Summit Heads to Mumbai 2026: Two-Day Climate Event Culminates in £1m Awards Night

MUMBAI — The Earthshot Prize Summit Mumbai 2026 opens in Mumbai, India, this November with a two-day programme culminating in the sixth annual Awards Night on 17 November, when five environmental innovators will each receive £1 million to scale their solutions.

It is the first time the summit and the awards ceremony are being held in India. Across the two days, the Earthshot Prize Summit will bring together global leaders, innovators, funders, businesses and communities to build connections and unlock support for environmental solutions, the organisers announced.

FAKTA

• What: The Earthshot Prize Summit 2026 — a two-day global climate event.
• Where: Mumbai, India — the first time the event is held in India.
• Finale: The sixth Earthshot Prize Awards Night on 17 November 2026.
• Prizes: Five winners, one per Earthshot category, each receiving £1 million.
• Finalists: 15 projects selected from nearly 7,000 nominations across 169 countries.
• Host: Filmmaker Karan Johar — the first Indian host of the Awards Night.
• Principal sponsor: Serum Institute of India, announced on 1 October 2026.

Earthshot Prize Summit Mumbai 2026: first time in India

The Earthshot Prize was founded by Prince William in 2020 to discover and scale solutions to the planet’s most pressing environmental challenges. The 2026 finalists were announced in September, and filmmaker Karan Johar was confirmed as the host of the Awards Night — the first Indian presenter of the ceremony.

Prince William, the prize’s founder and president, said of the finalists: “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.”

Serum Institute of India backs the summit

On 1 October 2026, the Earthshot Prize announced Serum Institute of India as a principal sponsor of the 2026 Summit. The collaboration will support the global gathering of environmental innovators, investors, philanthropists and business leaders in Mumbai.

Jason Knauf, chief executive of The Earthshot Prize, said: “India has an extraordinary track record of turning ambitious ideas into solutions that improve lives at scale.” Adar Poonawalla, chief executive of Serum Institute of India, said: “We are proud to support The Earthshot Prize Summit in Mumbai and the innovators working to build a healthier and more sustainable future.”

The five Earthshots and the 15 finalists

The prize is built around five Earthshots: Protect and Restore Nature, Clean Our Air, Revive Our Oceans, Build a Waste-Free World, and Fix Our Climate. Three finalists compete in each category, and one winner per category receives £1 million.

Among the 2026 finalists are Mahindra Last Mile Mobility of India, recognised in the Clean Our Air category for expanding electric last-mile transport, and the Danish energy company Ørsted, a finalist in Fix Our Climate for its work scaling offshore wind and accelerating the phase-out of fossil fuels. Other finalists include Bhutan for embedding nature protection in its constitution, the Yellowstone to Yukon conservation initiative, the Zero Emission Maritime Buyers Alliance (ZEMBA), the Argentinian wildfire-detection platform Satellites on Fire, and community zero-waste programmes such as the Mother Earth Foundation in the Philippines.

A track record since 2020

The 2026 finalists join a community of 75 finalists supported since 2020. According to the organisers, their work has collectively avoided or captured more than 18 million tonnes of CO2e, protected or restored 58 million hectares of land and 85 million hectares of ocean and coastline, removed or avoided 465,000 tonnes of waste, saved 21 million tonnes of water and improved air quality in regions home to 600 million people.

A crowded November for climate diplomacy

The Mumbai summit lands in the same month that COP31 convenes in Antalya, Türkiye, making November 2026 a concentrated moment for global climate action — from innovation prizes and deal-making in Mumbai to formal climate negotiations on the Mediterranean coast.

Conclusion

With 15 finalists, £5 million in prizes and its first edition on Indian soil, the 2026 Earthshot Prize Summit is set to be one of the autumn’s defining climate events. Follow Watan News’ climate coverage for more on the Earthshot Prize Summit in Mumbai, the winners and the road to COP31.

Frequently asked questions

When is the Earthshot Prize Summit 2026?
The two-day Summit takes place in Mumbai, India, this November, culminating in the Awards Night on 17 November 2026.

Who can win the Earthshot Prize?
The 15 finalists were selected from nearly 7,000 nominations across 169 countries. Five winners — one per Earthshot category — will each receive £1 million.

Who is hosting the 2026 Awards Night?
Indian filmmaker Karan Johar, the first Indian host of the ceremony.

Has the event been held in India before?
No — 2026 is the first time the Summit and Awards Night come to India.