Saudi Arabia secured several major honours at the 2026 Project Management Institute (PMI) Awards, including Project of the Year for the Hawiyah Unayzah Gas Reservoir Storage Program and World PMO of the Year for the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development.
The awards were announced during the PMI Global Summit in Detroit, Michigan, recognising achievements in project delivery, programme management, organisational performance, research and professional leadership.
Winners represented projects and organisations across the Middle East, Europe, Africa, Asia Pacific and the Americas, reflecting the international scope of the project management profession.
The annual awards programme, established in 1974, recognises individuals, teams and organisations for contributions to project management practice and delivery outcomes.
Saudi gas storage programme named Project of the Year
The Hawiyah Unayzah Gas Reservoir Storage Program in Saudi Arabia received the overall PMI Project of the Year Award, as well as the construction category award.
The programme was recognised under PMI’s principal project award, which evaluates excellence in project management, innovation, collaboration and positive social impact.
Saudi Arabia also secured the sustainability category award for its Irrigation Water Consumption Rationalization and Efficiency Improvement Project.
Other category winners included Advancing Accessibility & Inclusion at PUMB in Ukraine, which received the social impact award, and Florence Copper: Next-Generation In-Situ Copper Recovery in North America, recognised in the technology category.
The winning projects demonstrate the range of sectors represented in the awards, including energy infrastructure, water management, financial services accessibility and industrial technology.
Saudi ministry receives World PMO of the Year
The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development in Saudi Arabia was named World PMO of the Year, recognising its project management office’s performance, leadership and contribution to organisational value delivery.
The ministry also received the Middle East regional PMO award.
Other regional PMO winners were Eczacıbaşı Information and Communication Technologies in Europe, MTN Ghana in Africa, A*STAR SIMTech & ARTC in Asia Pacific, and Banreservas in the Americas.
The PMO awards recognise organisations demonstrating effective project governance, leadership and performance management.
The results highlight the role of project management offices in coordinating organisational priorities and supporting the delivery of strategic initiatives.
Individual awards recognise leadership and emerging talent
Fernando Romero received the PMI Eric Jenett Person of the Year Award for his contribution to the project management profession.
Rishab Vardhan Harikrishnan was named PMI Rising Leader of the Year, an award recognising early-career professionals making significant contributions to project management.
Other finalists in the category included Reed “Jimi” Schafer, Daniel Eagling, Olivier Jackson and Giulia Morello.
Dr Lambert Ofoegbu received the PMI Fellow Award, the institute’s highest individual honour for longstanding service and leadership.
Rahim Thompson received the Project Management Institute Educational Foundation’s Kerzner Award for Project Management Excellence in Social Impact.
The award recognises the application of project management knowledge and techniques to deliver positive outcomes across business, government, community and not-for-profit activities.
Brantlee Underhill, Chief Community Officer at PMI, said the awards recognised the contribution of project professionals to organisational and societal outcomes.
“Projects are how change is made,” she said.
“Project professionals make it possible to turn strategy into reality, delivering outcomes that benefit people and society.”
Research and academic contributions recognised
The 2026 awards also acknowledged research, teaching and academic contributions to project management.
Professor Lavagnon Ika received the PMI Research Achievement Award, recognising his published research and contributions to project management knowledge and practice.
Dr Carolina Melecardi Zani received the PMI Young Researcher Award, while Zhiwen “Zoey” Zheng was recognised with the James R. Snyder Student Paper of the Year Award.
Professor Ibrahim Odeh received the PMI Linn Stuckenbruck Teaching Excellence Award for contributions to project management education.
Chan Heo was presented with the Donald S. Barrie Award for work advancing knowledge and practice in engineering and construction.
The PMI David I. Cleland Project Management Literature Award was presented to Professors Alejandro Romero-Torres, Shankar Sankaran and Joseph Griffin.
PMI Greece named Chapter of the Year
The PMI Greece Chapter received the 2026 Chapter of the Year Award, recognising its leadership, innovation and contribution to the profession.
Regional finalists included chapters from Sydney, Pernambuco, the United Arab Emirates, Mile-Hi, Bangladesh and Ghana.
PMI also recognised seven chapter leaders for their volunteer contributions and leadership across different regions.
The Chapter Leadership Impact Award recipients were Gantsetseg Erdenebat of Mongolia, Andrii Skoromnyi of Ukraine, Antonio Maturano Huerta of Mexico, Mouna Zbidi of Tunisia, Beaula Prashanth of Canada, Vijay Narayanan of India and Winnie Astrid Zambo Asso’o of Cameroon.
The awards recognise the role of local professional networks in supporting project management development, mentoring and knowledge exchange.
The 2026 programme brought together recognition for major infrastructure and technology projects, organisational project management capability, academic research and professional development.
Saudi Arabia’s success in both the overall Project of the Year and World PMO of the Year categories was among the most prominent outcomes of this year’s awards, alongside recognition for projects and professionals across the wider international project management community.
