Nominations for the Duke of Cambridge’s 2022 Earthshot Prize awards have opened, with William vowing to go further in his search for the world’s greatest eco-innovators.

Extending the life of fashion, food and plastic products will be among the key “tipping points” focused on this year, along with transportation, regenerative agriculture and future-fit buildings.

Earthshot will also prioritise indigenous and women-led solutions, along with financial models that value nature, out-of-the-box “wild cards” ideas, and concepts embracing Web3.0 – the theory of decentralising the web away from a handful of large tech giants.

The duke set up the environmental initiative, which will award £50 million in prizes over 10 years, to find solutions to repair and protect the planet.

As the new nominations process began, William said: “The 2021 winners and finalists have set the bar incredibly high.

“As the nominations for 2022 open, I can’t wait to see what solutions the prize helps to champion this coming year.

“In 2022, we are determined to go further by seeking even more nominations from every corner of the world, ensuring that we spotlight and scale the very best ideas and innovations that will put our planet on a sustainable path and protect our world for generations to come.”

The five winners in 2021 each received £1 million to support their projects and included schemes to restore coral reefs, redistribute unwanted food to the disadvantaged in Milan and battle air pollution in India.

The republic of Costa Rica was also named as a winner for an initiative paying local citizens to restore natural ecosystems.

William hosted a star-studded inaugural prize ceremony at Alexandra Palace in London in October.

The 2022 event will take place in the US, meaning William and the Duchess of Cambridge could travel to America, where the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have made their home.

The prize has expanded its network of nominators, with over 300 hand-picked official nominators, representing more than 80 countries worldwide, tasked with searching for the potential winners.

Nominations close on March 4.