Bentley Announces 2026 Year in Infrastructure Award Winners

Bentley Systems announced the winners of its 2026 Year in Infrastructure (YII) Awards on October 7 during its annual event in Singapore. The awards recognize infrastructure professionals and organizations using Bentley software to improve the design, construction, and operation of infrastructure around the world.

This year’s competition drew more than 300 nominations from 53 countries, with winners selected in 12 categories by panels of independent judges. Artificial intelligence (AI), digital twins, and connected engineering data were recurring themes among this year’s finalists. Bentley is also changing its event strategy, separating the annual awards celebration from its corporate and technology announcements, which will move to the Bentley Tech Summit in Toronto in April 2027. 

Winners were announced at Bentley Systems' 2026 Year in Infrastructure Awards in Singapore. Image source Bentley Systems. 

2026 Year in Infrastructure Award Winners

The 12 winning projects cover infrastructure disciplines including transportation, power generation, geotechnical analysis, and water management. Several projects illustrate how engineering teams are combining models, operational information, and analytical tools to assess site conditions, coordinate project data, and monitor infrastructure performance. Here are three examples.

Aboitiz Renewables from the Philippines earned the Geospatial and Reality Modeling award for GeoShield, a geospatial intelligence initiative designed to predict landslide risks near hydropower infrastructure. The project combines LiDAR, photogrammetry, electrical resistivity tomography, GIS analysis, field observations, and AI-powered predictions in a shared digital environment using Bentley iTwin and third-party geotechnical applications.

According to the project's submission, the GeoShield pilot identified two areas at risk of landslides before major failures occurred. Aboitiz reported 85% accuracy in its AI predictions and estimated that the system helped avoid approximately US$6.8 million in potential losses. The project extends the use of digital models from documenting site conditions to identifying potential hazards.

Aboitiz Renewables won the Geospatial and Reality Modeling category for GeoShield, which combines geospatial survey data, field observations, and AI predictions to assess landslide risks near hydropower infrastructure. Image source Aboitiz Renewables.

APD Global, based in Australia, received the Transmission and Distribution award for its work on Clean Energy Link-North, a renewable energy transmission project valued at more than AU$600 million in Western Australia. The company integrated design, visualization, review, and project delivery workflows using Bentley’s MicroStation, ProjectWise, PLS-CADD, and other infrastructure modeling tools.

APD reported a 15% reduction in engineering design time and approximately 8,000 work hours saved. The company also projected a 20% reduction in downstream rework through the identification and resolution of design conflicts before construction. These results were attributed in part to the project's connected, model-based engineering workflows.

Another example comes from the Netherlands, where water utility Evides N.V. won the Water and Wastewater award for deploying operational digital twins across a 14,000-kilometer water distribution network serving approximately 2.5 million people.

Using Bentley iTwin, ProjectWise, and OpenFlows technology, Evides integrated operational, asset, and customer information to support hydraulic analysis, leak detection, demand forecasting, and incident response. The utility reported a 60% improvement in emergency response speed and a 9% reduction in non-revenue water. It also reported reducing water losses from pipe bursts by half, saving approximately 42,000 cubic meters annually.

See below for a full list of winners.

AI and Connected Data Gain Ground

Bentley's own analysis of the 36 finalist projects found that 24 reported using AI in some form, while 22 demonstrated strong or supporting evidence of a connected digital foundation.

Among the finalists, many engineering teams used AI and connected data to support workflows spanning multiple disciplines and project phases. The applications extend beyond generative AI. Among the finalists, engineering organizations used machine learning and predictive analytics alongside digital twins, geospatial information, simulation, and other established engineering technologies. The resulting workflows supported activities such as risk prediction, design optimization, construction planning, and infrastructure monitoring.

For engineering organizations, the significance lies in adding AI capabilities to existing software, and in making reliable engineering data available for analysis and decision-making throughout an asset’s lifecycle. The winning projects provide examples of how that approach is being applied to specific engineering problems, with results reported by the project teams.

Founders’ Honors Recognize Additional Achievements

In addition to the 12 category winners, Bentley recognized projects through its Founders’ Honors program. These awards are selected by Bentley’s founders and executives to highlight achievements that advance infrastructure development and digital engineering.

Among the honorees was WSP Global in India, recognized in the Connected Data category for its iTwin AI Project Lifecycle Intelligence Platform. WSP USA received recognition for model-based delivery on the I-35 Capital Express Central – Downtown (CapEx Central) project in Texas.

Maynilad Water Services in the Philippines was also honored for extending leak detection from district metered areas to system-wide analysis, while Empresas Públicas de Medellín in Colombia received an Asset Intelligence honor for its water distribution system digital twin.

The full list of award winners and Founders’ Honors recipients is available on the Year in Infrastructure website.

Bentley Separates YII Awards from Technology Announcements

In previous years, Year in Infrastructure combined project awards and presentations with Bentley’s corporate announcements, product developments, and technology strategy. Beginning in 2026, the company is separating these activities, allowing YII to focus on the engineering professionals and projects recognized through the awards.

Bentley’s technology announcements will move to the Bentley Tech Summit, scheduled for April 13–15, 2027, at the Automotive Building at Exhibition Place in Toronto, Canada.

Bentley plans to expand the Tech Summit into a larger, user-focused event and expects more than 3,000 engineers, infrastructure owners, technology leaders, and practitioners to attend.

The three-day program will include executive keynotes, technical presentations, hands-on workshops, product demonstrations, and developer sessions. Content will be organized around infrastructure sectors such as transportation, water, energy, cities and facilities, and ground-informed design, with broader themes including AI for infrastructure, connected data, and resilience.

All 2026 YII Winners  

Source: Bentley Systems. Some organization names and project titles have been abbreviated for readability.

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