Doha, Qatar: HH Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Chairperson of Qatar Foundation, graced the opening ceremony of the second edition of the Earthna Summit today, an event organized by Qatar Foundation. This two-day Summit, themed ‘Building our Legacy: Sustainability, Innovation and Traditional Knowledge’, saw the announcement of the four winners of the 2025 Earthna Prize.
The ceremony was also attended by HE Sheikha Hind bint Hamad Al Thani, Vice Chairperson and CEO of Qatar Foundation. The Summit gathered global and local leaders, scientists, architects, activists, and artists to discuss how traditional knowledge and innovative practices can serve as vital tools for resilience and adaptation.
The Earthna Prize, initiated on Earth Day in 2024 by Qatar Foundation’s Earthna Center for a Sustainable Future, honors projects that effectively merge traditional knowledge with innovation to address environmental issues. The four winning projects, chosen from a shortlist of 12 exceptional finalists, will collectively receive a US$1 million prize to further their initiatives.
After a thorough selection process aimed at identifying inclusive, community-based solutions that leverage traditional knowledge for sustainable development, the four winners are:
• The Farmer Tantoh Foundation (Cameroon) – Involving communities in water conservation by safeguarding spring catchments, utilizing indigenous knowledge, and enhancing water quality through sustainable purification techniques.
• Wuasikamas Ëconeêrã by Fundación Suma Kausai (Colombia) – Addressing climate change effects by incorporating Indigenous wisdom from the Eperara Siapiadaara, Inga, Siona, and Cofán peoples to safeguard biodiversity and encourage harmonious coexistence with nature.
• Seeds of Change Initiative by Blooming World International (Kenya) – Tackling food insecurity by revitalizing traditional agricultural practices, promoting African indigenous vegetables, and empowering women and youth through sustainable farming methods.
• Thriving Fishers, Thriving Oceans by Blue Ventures (Kenya, Senegal, Indonesia, Madagascar, and Belize) – Collaborating with coastal communities to restore tropical fisheries by supporting Indigenous small-scale fishers and addressing overfishing, habitat degradation, and climate change.
During her address at the Summit's opening, HE Sheikha Hind emphasized: “We are committed to ensuring that the outcomes of this Summit are rooted in our own culture, land, climate, and traditions. We aspire for this gathering—and similar ones—to be platforms where we unite in acknowledgment of our ‘fitrah’, the inherent human nature that compels us to uphold justice, generosity, and harmony with our surroundings.”
Dr. Gonzalo Castro de la Mata, Executive Director of Earthna, commended the Earthna Prize winners for their innovative, tradition-based solutions, stating: "The Earthna Prize celebrates initiatives that draw from deep-seated knowledge and collective experiences to confront contemporary environmental challenges. Our winners exemplify that genuine innovation encompasses not only new technologies but also the revitalization and adaptation of time-honored practices for a sustainable future. Their efforts remind us that resilience and advancement are founded on the practices we already possess, reimagined to meet today’s needs."
The Earthna Prize trophy, designed by Nada El Kharashi, a distinguished local sustainability designer and alumna of Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts in Qatar—a partner university of QF—symbolizes the impact of Earthna. The trophy, named ‘Earthna Echo’, embodies the sound wave pattern of the word ‘Earthna’, transforming it into a sculptural representation.
The inaugural call for submissions for the Earthna Prize attracted over 400 entries from more than 100 countries. A global review committee shortlisted 12 finalists, who then underwent a second detailed evaluation by a panel of environmental and cultural experts. The international jury included HE Fahad Bin Mohammed Al-Attiyah, Founder and CEO of Caravane Earth; HE Iván Duque, Former President 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.