Criteria

The PMI Project of the Year Award is evaluated through a rigorous review process.

The criteria below guide how evaluator teams assess the quality, impact, and execution of submitted projects. While the specific scoring methodology and weighting are used internally to ensure consistency and fairness, the following definitions outline what is evaluated during the selection of finalists and winners:

Context and Challenge Identification
Clarity of the project's purpose, objectives, constraints, and business need.

Outcomes, Value, and Category Alignment
Achievement of measurable results and benefits that reflect the intent and criteria of this award category.

Alignment with Organizational Goals
Contribution of the project to broader strategic, business, or mission-driven objectives.

Demonstration of Project Management Excellence
Application of professional project management practices, governance, and standards that directly supported successful delivery.

Demonstration of PMI Culture Values
Evidence of project team practices and behaviors that naturally align with PMI's culture values and ways of working.

Overall Project Success
The extent to which the project reflects PMI's expanded definition of success–delivering value that justifies the effort and investment, beyond traditional measures of scope, schedule, and cost.

Award Rules & Conditions

• Nominations may only be submitted one time under one category.
• Nominators may not change their project name or details to submit under multiple categories.
• Nominations submitted multiple times under multiple categories will not be considered and will be removed from the nomination pool.
• After submission, projects are reviewed for eligibility. If a project is deemed ineligible, the nomination will be declined. Declined nominations cannot be revised or resubmitted during the same award season.
• Nominations which were submitted incomplete, incorrectly formatted, late, or in a language other than English will not be considered.
• PMI will not reimburse any expense for assembling nomination or presentation materials.

The PMI Project of the Year Award follows a multi-stage evaluation process.

All submissions are rigorously reviewed by qualified volunteers and subject matter experts, leading to the selection of finalists, category winners, and one overall winner.

Step 1 — Nomination
Applicants must submit a nomination package through the PMI Professional Awards platform, consisting of the elements listed below.

• Fact Sheet (Mandatory)
• Questionnaire (Mandatory)
• Evidence Pack (Optional)

Step 2 — Initial Evaluation
A team of trained PMI volunteers and subject matter experts reviews all submissions and identifies a list of shortlisted candidates.

Step 3 — Presentation
Category finalists participate in a one-hour virtual session with members of the PMI Awards Advisory Team. Finalists deliver a 25-minute presentation, summarizing their “Story of Success” as submitted in their nomination package, followed by a Q&A session.

Step 5 — Project of the Year Winner:
From the category winners, one project is selected as the overall PMI Project of the Year. The winner is formally announced during the PMI Global Summit.

Nomination Package

Fact Sheet Template (Mandatory)
Consider the following guidelines:

• Project Overview:
  • Project Name, Organization Name, Other Organizations Sponsoring the Project
  • Sector, Country, Region
  • Award Category Selected (Social, Engineering/Technology, Construction/Infrastructure, Sustainability)
  • Project Type (Project / Program)
  • Delivery Approach (Optional)
• Timeline:
  • Start Date, Finish Date
  • Planned Duration vs. Actual Duration
• Scale & Scope:
  • Team Size
  • Number of Partners / Vendors (optional but useful)
  • Budget Band
• Baselines & Results:
  • Schedule Variance (±%)
  • Cost Variance (±%)
  • Key Quality Metrics / KPIs
  • Benefits Realized (financial & non-financial)

Questionnaire Template (Mandatory)
Please answer each question clearly and concisely, with a maximum of 300 words per response. Use complete sentences and professional language. Focus on measurable outcomes, innovative approaches, and lessons learned. Provide specific examples or data where possible to illustrate impact.

• Define the Challenge:
  • What specific challenge or opportunity did your project address, and why was it important for your organization or community?
• Highlight Outcomes and Category Alignment:
  • What measurable outcomes did your project achieve, and how do these outcomes demonstrate excellence according to the criteria defined for the selected category (Social, Engineering/Technology, Construction/Infrastructure, or Sustainability)?
• Align with Organizational Goals:
  • How did your project contribute to your organization’s mission, strategy, or strategic priorities?
• Demonstrate Project Management Excellence:
  • Which project management practices were most critical to the successful delivery of your project, and how did they drive results?
• Showcase PMI Values:
  • In what ways did your project team behaviors or ways of working naturally align and reflect PMI’s values — Make It Easy, Aim Higher, Be Welcoming, Embrace Curiosity, and Together We Can?
• Project Success:
  • How does your project reflect PMI’s expanded definition of project success -delivering value that is worth the effort and investment-beyond the  traditional measures of scope, schedule and cost?

• Information can include visual aids, graphs, workflows, charts, or other materials that help illustrate your project’s outcomes, processes, or impact.
• Sensitive or proprietary information data may be redacted as long as you provide brief context, so reviewers understand the relevance of the material.
• Evidence should enhance–not repeat–your written responses and remain concise for efficient review.