Earthshot Prize: Environmental competition finalists revealed

The Prince and Princess of Wales will meet the finalists and winners next month in Boston in the US

A 'Great Bubble Barrier' to catch plastics... unrecyclable plastic waste turned into concrete...

These are just two of the 15 clever ways finalists of this year's Earthshot Prize have in mind to fix the planet's problems.

It was launched two years ago by Prince William to solve "some of the world's greatest environmental challenges".

There are five prizes of £1 million up for grabs to support the winning conservation projects.

'There are many reasons to be optimistic'

The trailblazing environmental competition is in its second year with one aim - to recognise ideas and technologies that can safeguard the planet.

In doing so, winners will receive funding to develop their project and try to solve the many of the problems our planet faces.

The five winners will be announced at a special ceremony in Boston, USA next month and the Prince and Princess of Wales will be there.

William described the finalists as "innovators, leaders, and visionaries" and said they proved there are "many reasons to be optimistic about the future of our planet".

The Great Bubble Barrier

Across all five categories are 15 hopefuls, each with their own unique ideas, with two UK finalists in this year's competition.

Notpla Hard Material makes packaging from seaweed and plants as an alternative to single-use plastic - the company has already made a million biodegradable food boxes for an online food company.

Then there's Low Carbon Materials, a company based in County Durham, which uses unrecyclable plastic waste to make traditional concrete blocks carbon-zero.

"We've turned concrete net-zero and now we need the world to start using it," said co-founder Dr Natasha Boulding.

Among the other finalists are The Great Bubble Barrier, from the Netherlands, where air is pumped through a tube with holes in it to create a curtain of bubbles, which directs plastic up to the surface and into a waste collection system.

There's even an entire city up for a prize if it can convince the judges of its plans. The City of Amsterdam Circular Economy has a bold plan to create what's called a fully circular economy by 2050, wasting nothing and recycling everything... basically, a zero-waste city.

Others shortlisted include a Malaysian company creating wildlife corridors for orangutans and a team in Oman eliminating carbon dioxide (CO2) by mineralising, or trapping the gas, in rock.

Elsewhere, Mikuru Clean Stoves, from Kenya, provides cleaner burning stoves to reduce unhealthy indoor pollution and a safer way to cook.

Charlot Magayi's eco-stoves use processed biomass made from charcoal, wood and sugar cane, the company claims they cause 90% less pollution than an open fire.

The judging panel, which includes Prince William, is made up of leading figures from the worlds of sport, the environment, entertainment, business and philanthropy.

The Prince of Wales had the idea for the Earthshot Prize when he was on a trip to Namibia, Tanzania and Kenya in autumn 2018.

"The Earth is at a tipping point and we face a stark choice: either we continue as we are and irreparably damage our planet or we remember our unique power as human beings and our continual ability to lead, innovate and problem-solve," he said.

Every year until 2030 the judges will give out five prizes of £1 million - that's a total prize fund of £50 million!