Applications are now being accepted for the Mining Industry 4.0 competition.
Registration is now open for the annual "Mining Industry 4.0" competition for effective digital projects. Its goal is to recognize the best digitalization practices in the mining and related industries among companies in Russia, the CIS, and other countries.
The competition aims to promote successful cases that improve the security and operational efficiency of enterprises, as well as to reward the engineering and IT teams behind these breakthrough solutions.
Key dates for the 2026 competition:
// Application deadline: February 10 – April 3,
// Jury voting: April 4–13,
// summing up: April 14–15,
// Awards ceremony: April 23.
The winners will be presented with their awards at the 30th anniversary MiningWorld Russia exhibition at the Crocus Expo IEC in Moscow.
The projects will be evaluated by an independent jury consisting of representatives of government agencies, industry associations, industrial holdings, leading mining universities, and specialized media outlets. Winners will be selected in 11 categories.
Ten of them have already become traditional and cover key areas of digital transformation:
// digitalization of open-pit mining,
// digitalization of underground mining,
// digitalization of the enrichment process,
// industrial safety and labor protection,
// practical import substitution,
// digital projects for ESG,
// cybersecurity of production,
// AI-based solution for mining production,
// robotics and autonomous technologies,
// A woman in the digitalization of the mining and metallurgical complex.
The new 2026 category is "Digital Technologies for End-to-End Mining Enterprise Management ." It reflects a key trend: following the successful digitalization of individual sections, the industry is taking the next step toward digital integration between two or more stages, creating a unified system for managing end-to-end production and business processes.
"In 2026, we expect projects to demonstrate not just technological capabilities, but also proven operational maturity. The industry's talent shortage is driving demand for automation, intelligent advisors, and AI assistants. Furthermore, the focus is on economic impact and rapid return on investment: the market is shifting from 'showcase' digitalization to solutions that can scale and improve productivity in real-world conditions, not just in pilot sites. We will pay special attention to end-to-end technologies that integrate multiple stages into a single, manageable system. It's important for us to see how projects respond to modern challenges," comments Nikolay Godunov, Executive Director of the Mining Industry Division at Zyfra Group and a representative of the competition's organizing committee.
A company or specialist may submit multiple applications to different categories or to a single category, provided that each project is unique. The jury will pay particular attention to the completeness of the data, such as facts, figures, clear assumptions, and the presence of measurable effects demonstrating an impact on operational and economic efficiency. In addition to the category winners, a Grand Prix for an outstanding project will be considered. Applications for the competition can be submitted on the website . Participation is free.
The "Mining Industry 4.0" competition has been held since 2021 as part of the MiningWorld Russia exhibition, co-organized by the Zifra Group. Since then, it has established itself as a recognized industry platform for sharing best practices. Last year, projects from companies including Lebedinsky GOK, RUSAL, Norilsk Nickel, Severstal, ALROSA, Karelsky Okatysh, Kazakhmys, Polyus, and PhosAgro won the competition.