2025 Climate Solutions Prize Festival Celebrates Innovation and Impact

MONTREAL, June 27, 2025 — The 2025 Climate Solutions Prize Festival, a landmark event in the fight against climate change, successfully convened over 1,500 researchers, investors, policymakers, and climate technology entrepreneurs for two days filled with groundbreaking ideas and actionable solutions. The festival, held in Montreal, awarded significant funding—totaling $1.27 million—across six categories, highlighting the critical advancements in climate innovation.

The event's highlight was the recognition of Kevin Danner's innovative carbon capture technology in collaboration with RXN Hub, which garnered the top prize of $250,000. This technology is noted for setting new benchmarks in the industry for carbon reduction. The festival also showcased notable startup successes, including Green Graphite Technologies and Harvest Moon Foods, which embody Montreal's vibrant entrepreneurial spirit.

"The Climate Solutions Prize Festival in Montreal was a transformative success, an inspiring convergence of innovation, collaboration, and bold vision," stated Simon Olivier, Senior Partner at Cycle Capital and Head of the Cycle H2O Water Fund. He emphasized the significance of private sector investments in environmental technologies, particularly Cycle H2O's landmark $2.5 million investment in BioAlert, a water monitoring technology initiative.

The festival saw participation from nearly 400 applicants across Canada, marking it as Canada's most significant climate innovation event to date. The number of speakers increased by over 60% from the previous year, with representatives from all continents sharing insights through keynotes, pitch competitions, and expert panels.

"What makes the Climate Solutions Prize truly unique is how we bring together game-changing ideas and the ecosystem needed to turn them into climate solutions at warp speed," commented Galith Levy, Co-founder and CEO of the Climate Solutions Prize. "This year’s festival showcased the urgency, creativity, and collaboration needed to build a sustainable future, not just in theory but in practice. Our vision is to keep opening doors for funding, growth, and climate leadership."

In a year characterized by shifting global climate priorities, the festival served as a timely reminder of the need to focus on science-driven solutions. It also reinforced Montreal's growing role as a global hub for climate innovation, where collaboration continues to drive tangible progress.

Jeff Hart, Executive Chair of the Climate Solutions Prize, remarked, "What we're building here is a global climate innovation hub, where ideas meet capital, research meets execution, and the public and private sectors come together to accelerate scalable change."

### 2025 Prize Winners

**Breakthrough Research Prize** 1st Prize ($250,000): Kevin Danner, Carbon Lock Technologies Inc. in collaboration with RXN Hub, Manitoba/Ontario 2nd Prize ($150,000): Andy Lam, CarbonRun in collaboration with Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia

**Climate Tech Trailblazer Prize** Winner ($100,000): Christophe Roy, Technologies de pêche Aquarius inc., Sherbrooke, Quebec 2nd Place ($50,000): Patrick Racine, ChillSkyn, Inc., Montreal, Quebec

**Climate Startup Prize powered by Cycle Momentum** Pre-Commercialization ($150,000): Harvest Moon Foods Inc., Montreal, Quebec Commercialized ($250,000): Gillian Holcroft, Green Graphite Technologies, Montreal, Quebec

**Canadian Energy Innovator Prize powered by AtkinsRéalis** Winner ($100,000): Sahar Sam, Solaires Entreprises Inc., Victoria, BC

**Student Entrepreneur Prize in collaboration with Mitacs** 1st Prize ($100,000): Alexander Savard, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, Trois-Rivières, Quebec 2nd Prize ($80,000): Juliette Gagnon, Université Laval, Laval, Quebec

**Carbon Removal Prize powered by Deep Sky** Winner ($25,000): Mina Zarabian, Carbonova, Calgary, Alberta Audience Choice Award Winner ($15,000): Natasha Kostenuk, Ayrton Energy, Calgary, Alberta

The festival was made possible through partnerships with BMO Financial Group, Power Sustainable, National Bank of Canada, Deep Sky, AtkinsRéalis, and Cycle Momentum.

### About the Climate Solutions Prize Founded in 2020, the Climate Solutions Prize aims to catalyze climate action through innovation, investment, and collaboration. The annual festival connects innovators, investors, academics, and policymakers to accelerate breakthroughs in environmental technologies, fostering a nexus between innovation and investment for a sustainable climate future. For further information, visit [www.climatesolutionsprize.com](http://www.climatesolutionsprize.com).