The Earthshot Prize

Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington is proud to be an official nominator for The Earthshot Prize 2026

Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington is proud to be the only university that’s an official nominator for The Earthshot Prize in New Zealand, helping to find and grow the solutions that will repair our planet this decade and beyond.

Every year in the 2020s decade, The Earthshot Prize Trust, led by Prince William, will award £1 million ($1.9 million) each to five environmental solutions. The global search identifies the most ambitious and inspiring solutions to the planet’s greatest environmental challenges across five goals or ‘Earthshots’: ‘Protect and Restore Nature’, ‘Clean our Air’, ‘Revive our Oceans’, ‘Build a Waste-Free World,’ and ‘Fix our Climate’.

One of our nominees—Sea Forest—was a finalist for the 2023 Earthshot Prize, which was recognition of their hard work and the amazing solution the Sea Forest team have developed. Sea Forest co-founder Sam Elsom says, “Earthshot is far more than a prize, but rather a support team to assist us in scaling our solution. It’s been a very worthwhile process.”

Our nominees for the Earthshot Prize 2026

In May 2026, we announced our selection of nominees for the Earthshot Prize 2026. The six local climate solutions nominated for the multimillion-dollar funding represent the very best of Kiwi innovation, and the power of people coming together to tackle global environmental challenges.

They include bale wrap made from jute, packaging made from mushrooms, and interior design panels made from recycled plastic. Collective efforts are helping to clean the ocean from plastic pollution, to support farming be more sustainable, and to grow kelp forests.

Andrew Wilks, Manutaki—Director, Sustainability at Victoria University of Wellington, says, “As a sustainability thought leader in New Zealand, Vic Uni is charged as an official nominator in a global network of 361 nominators for The Earthshot Prize.

“There were remarkable applications again, but Vic Uni is excited to elevate these six New Zealand solutions to the world stage through The Earthshot Prize because every single one has the power to change the world. They’re affordable, immediately scalable, and could create true global transformation.”

Mr Wilks says the prize is awarded to projects that highlight human ingenuity, drive change, and inspire collective action.

“The very best national qualities are clear in our successful New Zealand nominees. There’s the No. 8 wire ingenuity that’s led to developing alternatives to plastic or reusing it by Critical, Mushroom Material, and KiwiEconet. Meanwhile, the power of the Kiwi working bee is evident in the community-building work of AgriZero^NZ, Mountains to Sea Wellington Trust, and Sea Cleaners.”

Victoria University’s New Zealand nominees for The Earthshot Prize 2026 are:

• AgriZero^NZ: This public-private partnership invests to accelerate the development and deployment of tools for farmers to reduce agricultural emissions while staying profitable and productive. AgriZero^NZ invests in early-stage research and technology companies, helping them accelerate product development, navigate regulatory requirements and create pathways for uptake on pasture-based farms, including equitable access for Māori farmers. Half-owned by the New Zealand government and half-owned by major agribusinesses and banks, there’s equal investment, dollar for dollar. This replicable government-agriculture industry model investing in climate solutions that are scalable worldwide carries significant opportunity for transformative global impact.
• Critical: Critical.is a Māori-led clean-tech company transforming hard-to-recycle plastic waste into high-performance, near carbon-neutral circular building materials called Cleanstone. Designed to replace short-life MDF and laminate panels used in construction and interiors, Cleanstone panels are durable, waterproof, endlessly recyclable, and made from 100% reclaimed plastic waste sourced in Aotearoa. But Critical.’s vision extends far beyond panels. The company is developing compact “microfactories”—advanced recycling and manufacturing systems condensed into shipping container—that enable any city or community to transform its own waste into high-value materials, jobs, and local economic opportunity. Each microfactory is projected to recycle 1,650 tonnes of plastic waste annually while producing 22,000 circular panels for schools, homes, workplaces, and commercial fit-outs. The long-term ambition is to deploy this technology globally, creating a distributed network of community-owned circular manufacturing hubs that radically reduce landfill, construction emissions, and reliance on virgin materials. Grounded in Te Ao Māori values of kaitiakitanga and being good ancestors, Critical. is reimagining the future of construction—proving that waste can become prosperity, and that regenerative design can scale globally.
• KiwiEconet: A breakthrough in sustainable farming with the Southland invention of 100 percent natural and organic jute fibre netting, KiwiEconet is designed to replace conventional plastic wrap for baling hay and silage. Made from renewable, compostable plant fibres, KiwiEconet netting delivers strength, efficiency, and safety for livestock while dramatically reducing agricultural plastic waste. It performs reliably in the field and decomposes naturally, enriching soil and eliminating disposal challenges. KiwiEconet’s biodegradable alternative to plastic use sets a new standard for responsible farming worldwide.
• Mountains to Sea Wellington Trust: The Love Rimurimu project, led by the Mountains to Sea Wellington Trust, is restoring declining kelp forests in Wellington Harbour through science, community action, and Indigenous partnership. These biodiverse habitats act as carbon sinks, protect coastlines, improve water quality and are a source of food and products for marine ecosystems and humans. Since 2020, Love Rimurimu has researched kelp health, trialled methods for growing and planting juvenile seaweed, and begun regenerating giant kelp, with around 2,000 plants already deployed. As part of the global Kelp Forest Alliance, Love Rimurimu aims to restore one hectare by 2030 while empowering communities through hands‑on education and open‑source knowledge sharing. Love Rimurimu is partnering with Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington, Earth Sciences New Zealand and Taranaki Whanui on its research.
• Mushroom Material: A fully biodegradable, mushroom-based alternative to the polystyrene on which the packaging industry is reliant is Mushroom Material. The home‑compostable material uses mycelium—the root structure of mushrooms—and agricultural waste. Strong, protective and affordable, it matches polystyrene’s performance while breaking down naturally in soil, home compost and landfill. The innovation lies in mycelium-based pellets, designed to integrate seamlessly with existing moulding equipment making the switch seamless. Scalable and affordable, Mushroom Material offers a viable solution for the packaging industry as global regulations push for the phase‑out of single‑use plastics, transforming packaging sustainability worldwide.
• Sea Cleaners Trust: Sea Cleaners is a marine litter interception programme operating a fleet of purpose-built vessels that remove plastic pollution from freshwater and marine environments before it fragments and disperses beyond recovery. Since 2002, more than 22 million litres of waste has been removed from Aotearoa’s waterways and coastlines through a consistent, data-led approach. Sea Cleaners functions as preventative environmental infrastructure, targeting the final pathways where waste escapes from land-based systems into the marine environment. Each vessel delivers consistent, measurable waste removal while supporting community engagement, education, and local partnerships.
  Building on this proven model, Sea Cleaners is now establishing a Pacific Ocean Clean-Up Network, an island-led system combining on-water recovery, youth engagement, cultural leadership, and circular recycling pathways. Designed to be practical, scalable, and locally operated, the network will enable Pacific communities to intercept and recover plastic pollution at source, while transforming collected waste into usable materials through regional recycling partnerships.

Criteria

Our review panel had the tough job of selecting which applications best responded to The Earthshot Prize’s criteria. We assessed applications across five criteria:

• Relevance—How well does the solution align to the selected Earthshot category and priority areas and does it use any of the cross-cutting enablers?
• Impact— Will the solution make a significant global impact? Does it also have a positive human impact?
• Maturity— How developed is the solution? Is it proven and at a stage where The Earthshot Prize will provide the boost needed to scale the solution?
• Organisation—Does the solution have a solid organisational structure whereby we can trust that if they won The Earthshot prize it would be invested well?
• Overall—Does the solution have the wow factor? Is it innovative and inspiring?

Nominations

In February 2027, the University will open nominations for the Earthshot Prize 2027. Please watch this space in October 2026 for applications for nominations for 2027.

Winners and finalists

Previous winners and finalists provide a sense of the type and range of solutions that The Earthshot Prize Council is looking for. It is highly competitive, but for a fantastic reward—the prize money, the exposure, and the support to scale the solution

Timeline

Earthshot Prize 2026

• May 2026: We announced our six New Zealand nominees.
• September 2026: Finalists announced.
• November 2026: Winners announced at the awards ceremony in Mumbai.

Media enquiries

Please reach out to our media team for images or interviews with any of the nominees.

Email: media@vuw.ac.nz

Phone: 022 017 6250

Clockwise from top left: AgriZero, Critical., Mountains to Sea Wellington Trust (photo credit Mountains to Sea Wellington Trust/Kristine Zipfel), Sea Cleaners Trust, Mushroom Material, KiwiEconet