Doha, Qatar – Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Chairperson of Qatar Foundation, today attended the opening ceremony of the second edition of the Earthna Summit, organized by Qatar Foundation. At the two-day Summit, held under the theme ‘Building our Legacy: Sustainability, Innovation and Traditional Knowledge’, the four winners of the 2025 Earthna Prize were announced.

The opening of the Summit was also attended by Her Excellency Sheikha Hind bint Hamad Al Thani, Vice Chairperson and CEO of Qatar Foundation. The Summit has brought together global and local leaders, scientists, architects, activists, and artists to explore how traditional knowledge, and cutting-edge innovation can offer powerful tools for resilience and adaptation.

The Earthna Prize, launched on Earth Day in 2024 by Qatar Foundation’s (QF) Earthna Center for a Sustainable Future, recognizes projects that demonstrate the integration of traditional knowledge and innovation to tackle environmental challenges. Marking the culmination of the inaugural edition, the four winning projects – selected from a shortlist of 12 outstanding finalists – will share a US$1 million prize to advance and accelerate their work.

Following a rigorous selection process focused on identifying inclusive, community-rooted solutions that harness traditional knowledge to build sustainable futures, the four winners are:

  • The Farmer Tantoh Foundation (Cameroon) – Engaging communities in water conservation by protecting spring catchments, applying indigenous knowledge, and improving water quality through sustainable purification methods.
  • Wuasikamas Ëconeêrã by Fundación Suma Kausai (Colombia) – Mitigating climate change impacts by integrating Indigenous knowledge from the Eperara Siapiadaara, Inga, Siona, and Cofán peoples to protect biodiversity and promote harmonious living with nature.
  • Seeds of Change Initiative by Blooming World International (Kenya) – Combating food insecurity by reviving traditional agricultural knowledge, promoting African indigenous vegetables, and empowering women and youth through sustainable farming practices.
  • Thriving Fishers, Thriving Oceans by Blue Ventures (Kenya, Senegal, Indonesia, Madagascar, and Belize) – Partnering with coastal communities to restore tropical fisheries by supporting Indigenous small-scale fishers and tackling overfishing, habitat loss, and climate change.

Speaking at the opening of the Summit, Her Excellency Sheikha Hind said:

“We are determined that the outcomes of this Summit grow from the ground beneath our own feet, shaped by our culture, our land, our weather, and our ways. We want this gathering -- and others like it-- to be spaces where we come together in recognition of our “fitrah”, the innate human nature within us all, that calls us to uphold what is just, what is generous, and what is in harmony with the world around us.”

Dr. Gonzalo Castro de la Mata, Executive Director of Earthna, praised the Earthna Prize winners for their visionary, tradition-based innovations, adding:

"The Earthna Prize recognizes solutions that draw on deep-rooted knowledge and collective experience to address today’s environmental challenges. Our winners demonstrate that true innovation is not just about new technologies—it is also about revitalizing and adapting time-tested practices for a sustainable future. Their work serves as a powerful reminder that resilience and progress are built on the practices we already possess, reimagined for the needs of our time."

The Earthna Prize trophy was designed by Nada El kharashi, a renowned local sustainability designer and an alumna of Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts in Qatar – a QF partner university. The trophy, ‘Earthna Echo’, captures the sound wave pattern of the word ‘Earthna’ and transforms it into a sculptural representation of Earthna's impact.

The first call for submissions for the Earthna Prize received more than 400 submissions from over 100 countries. A global review committee selected the 12 finalists, which underwent a second detailed review process by a panel of environmental and cultural leaders. The international jury comprised His Excellency Fahad Bin Mohammed Al-Attiyah, Founder and CEO of Caravane Earth; His Excellency Iván Duque, Former President of the Republic of Colombia; Robin Hanbury-Tenison, Founder of Survival International; Dr. Frannie Léautier, Senior Partner and CEO of SouthBridge Investments; and the Honorable Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland.

The Earthna Prize is awarded biennially, with details of the second edition of the Earthna Prize to be announced later this year. 

Earthna Center for a Sustainable Future 

Earthna Center for a Sustainable Future (Earthna) is a non-profit policy, research, and advocacy organisation, established by Qatar Foundation (QF) to promote and enable a coordinated approach to environmental, social, and economic sustainability and prosperity. 

Earthna is a facilitator of sustainability efforts and action in Qatar and other hot and arid countries, focusing on sustainability frameworks, circular economies, energy transition, climate change, biodiversity and ecosystems, cities and the built environment, and education, ethics, and faith. By bringing together technical experts, researchers, government and non-government organisations, businesses, civil society, and policy and decision-makers, Earthna fosters collaboration, innovation, and positive change. 

Using their home—Education City—as a testbed, Earthna develops and trials sustainable solutions and evidence-based policies for Qatar and hot and arid regions. The organisation is committed to combining modern thinking with traditional knowledge, contributing to the well-being of society by creating a legacy of sustainability within a thriving natural environment.

Qatar Foundation – 30 Years of Unlocking Human Potential

Qatar Foundation (QF) is a non-profit organisation which, for 30 years, has supported the sustainable human, social, and economic development of Qatar through entities, programs, and initiatives focused on education, science and research, and community development.

QF was founded in 1995 by His Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the Father Amir of Qatar, and Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Chairperson of Qatar Foundation, who shared the vision of providing quality education for everyone in Qatar. In the three decades since, this vision has evolved into a globally unique, multidisciplinary ecosystem of knowledge – offering opportunities for lifelong learning, fostering innovation, and empowering people to be socially engaged citizens and drivers of positive change.

This diverse but interconnected ecosystem comprises a world-class education landscape spanning the full spectrum of learning from pre-school to post-doctoral level; research, innovation, and policy centres addressing some of the world’s greatest challenges facing the world; alongside community facilities for people of all ages to seek knowledge, embrace active lifestyles, and expand their horizons within QF’s Education City, spanning 12 square kilometres in Doha, Qatar.

With its efforts concentrated on generating impact in five key areas – progressive education, sustainability, Artificial Intelligence, precision health, and social progress – QF remains committed, as it has been for the past 30 years, to investing in Qatar and its people, and contributing to shaping a better world for all.