The Awards

The Awards: MVP + UI Honors unites two respected programs, UCTA’s Most Valuable Professional (MVP) Award and Underground Infrastructure’s UI Awards, into one occasion that captures the spirit of our industry, celebrating an individual and projects shaping the future of underground infrastructure.

Our work often happens out of sight, beneath streets, rivers, and cities — but its impact reaches everywhere. The Awards was created to recognize that impact, honoring the teams who keep essential systems safe, reliable, and built for the future.

By bringing together two long-standing honors into one shared stage, we’ve created something more meaningful: a collective moment to applaud the professionals who make progress possible, from pipeline specialists and engineers to contractors, designers, and utility owners.

2027 Underground Infrastructure Awards Finalists Are:

Emerging Technology of the Year
  • CopperBOSS Cerro Flow Products
  • Texas811 Guardian, Texas811
  • Real-time monitoring of residual styrene in wastewater, AECOM
  • InfraShield Joint System, Northwest Pipe Company
  • DAKOTA Enterprise Operations Platform, Dakota Utility Contractors LLC
Sewer Project of the Year
  • Bear Creek Interceptor Relief Phase 1, Lockwood, Andrews & Newnam, Inc.
  • 39th Street Conduit Rehabilitation Phase II, Michels
  • City of Fort Myers Sanitary Sewer Evaluation Program, City of Fort Myers, McKim & Creed, Mead & Hunt
  • Northwest Interceptor Rehabilitation Project, AECOM, City of Winnipeg, Insituform and Darco
  • Clackamas Water Environment Services (WES) Tri-City WRRF Outfall Project, Michels, AECOM, Clackamas Water Environment Services, Thompson Pipe Group
Water Project of the Year
  • Lake Ralph Hall Raw Water Transmission Pipeline, Lockwood, Andrews & Newnam
  • Southwest Pump Station and Storage Facility, Upper Trinity Regional Water District
  • Integrated Pipeline – Section 19 Long Tunnel Crossing Project (PL19TUN), Tarrant Regional Water District
  • Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) 430 Water Transmission Pipeline Reline Geopolymer Rehab Project, Michels Corporation
  • WHCRWA Segment B1/B2, West Harris County Regional Water Authority (WHCRWA)
Asset Management Project of the Year
  • CRWS Asset Management Program Driving Risk-Based CIP Optimization, Trinity River Authority of Texas
  • Water Lines Condition Based Assessment – San Jacinto River Authority, HDR Inc.
Utility Project of the Year (Fiber, Electric, Gas Distribution)
  • AIRRAQ Network Phase 1 (Airraq 1) – Dillingham-to-Bethel Subsea and Terrestrial Fiber Build, Meridian Management, Inc.
  • BC Hydro Victoria-to-Esquimalt Cable Replacement Project, Dow Chemical, ISCO, Performance Pipe
HDD Project of the Year
  • PAPLC, Sempra, HardRock
  • Venetian Causeway Water and Sewer Main Upgrades, Phase II, Hazen and Sawyer
  • Beluga Solar – West Array Interconnection, Meridian Management Inc.
  • Port Arthur Pipeline Louisiana Connector, Michels
  • Kansas Gas Pipeline HDD Expansion, Dakota Utility Contractors

See below for the range of sponsorship opportunities offering strong visibility before,  during and after the event. 

To get started, download and complete the agreement or for more information, contact: Josh@UndergroundInfrastructure.com or Peter.Royall@GulfEnergyInfo.com