Actor/Activist Nomzamo Mbatha speaks onstage during The Earthshot Prize Innovation Summit In Partnership with Bloomberg Philanthropies at The Plaza Hotel on September 19, 2023 in New York City. (Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for Bloomberg Philanthropies)
- South African actor Nomzamo Mbatha has been named an inaugural Earthshot Global Ambassador alongside Robert Irwin.
- Launched by Prince William in 2020, The Earthshot Prize seeks to discover and amplify innovative environmental solutions.
- “I am so excited to continue working with The Earthshot Prize as a Global Ambassador and using my platform to advocate for solutions that fix our climate,” said Mbatha.
- This year’s awards will be held in Cape Town, featuring five days of events in November.
South African actor and humanitarian Nomzamo Mbatha has been named an inaugural Earthshot Global Ambassador, joining Robert Irwin, the son of the legendary conservationist Steve Irwin.
Inspired by president John F. Kennedy’s 1962 “Moonshot” challenge to land a man on the moon within ten years, Prince William launched The Earthshot Prize in 2020. According to the website, the initiative aims to discover and amplify the most innovative solutions to the world’s most pressing environmental issues.
From 2021 to 2030, the Prince of Wales and a panel of Prize Council Members representing six continents will annually award The Earthshot Prize to five winners. Each winner, one for each Earthshot, will be recognised for their evidence-based solutions progressing significantly towards these goals.
The awards, previously held in London, Boston, and Singapore, will take place in Cape Town this year. Now in its fourth year, the initiative will feature five days of events in November, culminating in the annual awards ceremony.
READ | Prince William’s Earthshot Prize ceremony to be held in Cape Town
According to a press release, Mbatha and Irwin, who presented the Earthshot Prize Awards in Singapore, will continue their support as Global Ambassadors.
“During the dynamic, year-long Ambassador programme, they will leverage their platforms and expertise to champion the groundbreaking environmental solutions honoured as Earthshot Prize Finalists and expand the conversation about critical, creative solutions to a wider audience of supporters,” reads the statement.
“I am so excited to continue working with The Earthshot Prize as a Global Ambassador and using my platform to advocate for solutions that fix our climate as well as protect and restore the planet,” said Mbatha.
As an African, I am passionate about highlighting the incredible work of innovators and entrepreneurs across the continent, and I can’t wait to work with Robert and others within The Earthshot Prize to honour and celebrate African solutions in Cape Town later this year.
Mbatha founded The Lighthouse Foundation, a non-profit organisation providing marginalised youth with skills development opportunities and bursaries. She is also a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
The 34-year-old also serves as an ambassador for the Cotton On Foundation. Earlier this year, the foundation spearheaded a project to revamp Dr JL Dube High School in KwaMashu.
READ MORE | Nomzamo Mbatha gets in her feels over R75 million refurbishment of Dr JL Dube High School
