The Gencon Foundation is pleased to announce that the Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative (Y2Y) has been named a 2026 finalist for The Earthshot Prize.
The Earthshot Prize is a global environmental award founded by HRH Prince William in 2020 to discover, celebrate, and scale innovative solutions that repair the planet. As a 2026 finalist this prize recognises Y2Y as a global model for large-scale conservation at the scale nature needs to reverse the loss of biodiversity and a warming climate.
“Every year, our finalists give me renewed optimism. They show us that, even as the environmental challenges remain urgent, extraordinary people around the world are already proving that progress is possible. Seeing solutions work gives us all confidence to act. When they succeed, they inspire others and accelerate change.”
Prince William, president and founder of The Earthshot Prize.
Y2Y is one of three finalists in the “Protect and Restore Nature” category. The Earthshot Prize organization will work with Y2Y to raise global recognition of the Yellowstone to Yukon region, build broader public support for large-landscape conservation and connect the organization with storytellers, and decisionmakers who can help accelerate protection across the Rocky Mountains and share its model worldwide.
Y2Y and its partners have spent more than 30 years reconnecting the largest remaining intact mountain system on Earth. Work across the Y2Y region spans a distance of 3,400 kilometers along the spine of the Rocky Mountains from the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem in the United States to Canada’s Yukon and is home to thousands of species that have persisted since the last Ice Age — including grizzly bears, lynx, wolves, wolverines and caribou — to ensure they continue to have room to roam to feed, find mates, and raise their young.
This recognition from The Earthshot Prize brings global attention to the solutions possible through cross-border collaboration, long-term stewardship and prioritizing nature. This nomination also elevates the importance of large landscape connectivity and the geographic region to an international level akin to other vast ecosystems such as the Amazon or Serengeti.
The Earthshot Prize Awards Night will be held in Mumbai, India, on November 17, 2026