Bentley Systems has opened submissions for the Year in Infrastructure event and YII Awards 2026, recognizing digital innovation in infrastructure using its software. Submissions will be accepted through May 3, at 11:59 p.m. EDT.
“Originally, the Bentley awards recognized designers who used 3D technology to drive efficiency,” said Monica Schnitger, Founder, President and Principal Analyst of Schnitger Corporation. “Now they assess how massive projects are building and leveraging rich data assets to create value throughout the entire lifecycle of a project — from initial financial decision-making through design and construction.”
Over the past two decades, more than 5,500 of the world’s most significant infrastructure projects have participated in Bentley’s award program. Past winners have included landmark projects such as the digital twin for structural monitoring of St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City; the Seine Nord Europe Canal in France; the Thames Tideway Tunnel in the UK; Siemensstadt Square in Germany; Sydney Airport in Australia; the Fairmont Udaipur Palace in India; the Beijing Zhangjiakou highspeed railway in China; the Ontario Line subway in Canada; and EchoWater, one of the largest agricultural water recycling facilities in the United States. These projects demonstrate how digital innovation delivers measurable economic, environmental, and societal impact.
“Around the world, infrastructure professionals rely on Bentley software to design, build, and operate infrastructure that is more resilient, efficient, and sustainable,” said Cate Lochead, Chief Marketing Officer at Bentley Systems. “The YII Awards celebrate real world results from teams that are innovating in areas that include ground informed design, connected data, and AI. It is important to promote this work as best practice as these achievements set a new standard for what’s possible across the infrastructure ecosystem.”
Submissions are evaluated by independent panels of industry experts based on digital advancement and quantifiable results, including improvements in efficiency, cost performance, resilience, and sustainability.
The YII Awards 2026 recognize excellence across the full spectrum of infrastructure disciplines and innovation, with categories including Bridges and Tunnels; Cities and Facilities; Construction; Energy Production; Geospatial and Reality Modeling; Project Delivery; Rail and Transit; Roads and Highways; Structural Engineering; Subsurface Modeling and Analysis; Transmission and Distribution; and Water and Wastewater.
Finalist projects contribute to the industry through detailed project stories, digital playbooks, and presentations shared as part of the awards program.
Submission Details:
- Opens: March 18, 2026
- Closes: May 3, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. EDT
- Eligibility: Projects of any size or stage that utilize Bentley software
- Finalists and Winners: Finalists will be announced in August 2026. Finalists will be invited to present their projects at the Year in Infrastructure event in Singapore, October 6-7, where category winners will be revealed.
For more information or to submit a project, visit Awards | The Year In Infrastructure | Bentley Systems.
