Earthshot Prize 2025: results, winners, architecture, and impact for Brazil and the world.

In November 2025, Brazil experienced a historic moment: for the first time, the Earthshot Prize , considered the "Oscar of sustainability," was held in Latin America, at the iconic Museum of Tomorrow in Rio de Janeiro.

The announcement of the winners, made during an evening of global celebration and recognition, brought to the stage solutions that symbolize not only technological innovation , but concrete answers to the planet's most pressing environmental challenges .

In this article, I will discuss who the 2025 winners were, the impact of their initiatives, and whether there was any connection to the fields of architecture and design , especially in the Brazilian context.

What happened at the Earthshot Prize 2025?

The awards ceremony took place on November 5, 2025 , in a memorable evening that brought together global voices, environmental leaders, artists, and innovators.

The event crowned five winners , one for each of the Earthshot categories, which are:

• Protecting and Restoring Nature

• Clean Our Air

• Reviving Our Oceans

• Building a World Without Waste

• Combating the Climate Crisis

  
  

Each winner received £1 million (approximately R$ 7.3 million) to scale up their solutions and generate impact on a global scale.

Winners of the Earthshot Prize 2025

1. Protect and Restore Nature – re.green (Brazil)

The Brazilian startup re.green was one of the main protagonists of the event, winning the Protect and Restore Nature category.

The initiative uses artificial intelligence and satellite data to restore ecosystems , such as the Atlantic Forest and the Amazon , making reforestation more efficient and economical, generating jobs, protecting biodiversity, and strengthening local economies.

This achievement places Brazil at the center of global environmental solutions and represents important international recognition for Brazilian sustainable innovation .

2. Clean Our Air – City of Bogotá (Colombia)

The Colombian capital was awarded for its bold policies to improve air quality, including transformations in urban transport and sustainable mobility policies that have significantly reduced pollution.

3. Reviving Our Oceans – The High Seas Treaty (Global)

This global initiative forms the basis for the first international treaty that creates a legal framework to protect areas of the oceans beyond national jurisdictions , a historic step for marine conservation.

4. Building a World Without Waste – Quay Quarter Tower (Australia)

The winning project in this category was the Quay Quarter Tower , an icon of sustainable design and retrofitting , demonstrating how architecture can be regenerative by repurposing existing structures, reducing carbon impact, and offering a model for global urban restructuring.

This victory represents an important intersection between architecture, design, and sustainability , elevating the role of urban design as a concrete solution in the fight against waste.

5. Combating the Climate Crisis – Friendship (Bangladesh)

The Friendship organization was recognized for its integrated and holistic development model, focused on communities vulnerable to climate change and aligned with the UN's 17 Sustainable Development Goals .

Architecture, design, and sustainability at Earthshot 2025

Although the Earthshot Prize is not directly focused on architecture as its main category, the presence of the Quay Quarter Tower as a winner highlighted how sustainable architectural design can be a solution with real impact .

Quay Quarter Tower: Regenerative Architecture in Focus

The Quay Quarter Tower, located in Sydney, was awarded for its sustainable retrofitting approach, a strategy that reinvents existing buildings as an alternative to demolition, drastically reducing material waste and carbon emissions in the construction sector.

This example shows that conscious architecture and design projects can take center stage in the global environmental debate , opening doors for future recognition and inspiring similar practices in Brazil and around the world.

The significance of the award for Brazil

The victory of re.green and the holding of the award ceremony in Rio de Janeiro represent more than just an event: they are an international recognition of Brazil's creative and innovative capacity at the forefront of sustainability .

This scenario reinforces the idea that the country can be a leader in high-impact environmental solutions , not only as a venue for events, but as a global benchmark for transformative initiatives.

Conclusion

The Earthshot Prize 2025 was a milestone in the global sustainability calendar, mainly because it placed Brazil at the center of discussions on environmental innovation .

With winners ranging from urban climate solutions to international treaties for ocean protection, the award celebrates not only ideas, but actions with real impact . And, by recognizing efforts that engage with sustainable architecture and design, such as the Quay Quarter Tower, it paves the way for more transformative practices to be shared globally.