"We set sail on this new sea because there is new knowledge to be gained, and new rights to be won, and they must be won and used for the progress of all people."
- President John F. Kennedy, September 12, 1962
One of President Kennedy’s most important legacies was his firm belief in our ability to accomplish extraordinary achievements. During his September 12, 1962 speech at Rice University, President Kennedy repeated his challenge to the nation to land on the Moon within the decade. Through new technologies, partnerships, and a collective drive to achieve the extraordinary, his vision was realized. This spirit of innovation continues to inspire citizens to take on ambitious challenges to better their community, their country, and the world.
Founded by Prince William in 2020 and inspired by President Kennedy’s Moonshot speech at Rice University, The Earthshot Prize is an ambitious global environmental prize which aims to discover and help scale the world’s most innovative climate and environmental solutions to protect and restore our planet. In 2022, the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation was proud to partner with The Earthshot Prize to bring the Awards Ceremony to Boston and highlight its global standing as a pioneer in innovation. Launched in 2024, the Earthshot Innovation Challenge: Northeast U.S. Edition harnesses the energy from the Boston ceremony and President Kennedy’s spirit of innovation to catalyze U.S.-based, game-changing solutions to repair the planet.
The Earthshot Innovation Challenge: Northeast U.S. Edition ignites Northeast-U.S.-based innovations that promise to make meaningful positive change in one of the five Earthshots: Protect and Restore Nature; Clean Our Air; Revive Our Oceans; Build a Waste-Free World; and Fix Our Climate. The John F. Kennedy Library Foundation, The ‘Quin Impact Fund, and the Earthshot Legacy Partners will provide grant funding to the award winners each year to accelerate the development and scale of these solutions.
The awards are presented annually at a September ceremony commemorating the anniversary of President Kennedy’s Moonshot speech.
Award winners will receive grant funding of up to $100,000 to accelerate the development and scale of their solutions.
The Earthshot Legacy Partners group is chaired by inaugural donors Sandy and Paul Edgerley and also recognizes leadership contributions from Giving | Grousbeck Fazzalari and Karen and Rob Hale.
