The Harry Otten Prize for Innovation in Meteorology has been awarded for the seventh time. During the Annual Meeting of the European Meteorological Society currently taking place in Ljubljana, the jury announced that Assaf Shmuel (Weizmann Institute of Science) has won the first prize of 25,000 Euro. His idea, Listening to the Forest: AI-Driven Meteo-Acoustic Early Warning System for Wildfire Detection, entails that that fire has unique sounds, such as the crackle of embers or the snap of dry wood, which can be detected by AI-enhanced acoustic sensors. The system represents a new class of meteorological sensors that couple atmospheric conditions with AI-driven acoustic sensing to detect ignition events and dynamically assess fire risk. By deploying a network of low-cost acoustic sensors in wildfire-prone areas, this system can significantly enhance early detection capabilities.