Kentico adds Best Use of AI award to Site of the Year 2026

Kentico opened its Site of the Year 2026 competition with a new awards structure that adds a Best Use of AI category, marking the first time a major DXP vendor has formally recognized agentic and generative AI in production. The program now reflects the industry’s shift toward SaaS, migration, multichannel and AI-driven projects, with finalists set for January 2027 and winners due in February 2027. Why it matters: - Kentico is using its awards program to elevate agentic AI from an emerging feature to a recognized production capability. - The new structure also spotlights the migration, SaaS and consolidation projects that are reshaping how digital teams deliver experiences. - Partners and customers can now compete for recognition that tracks where the DXP market is moving, not just traditional category silos. What happened: - Kentico opened Site of the Year 2026 with a refreshed awards structure and a new Best Use of AI award. - The company says the AI category is the first from a major Digital Experience Platform vendor to formally celebrate partner work deploying agentic and generative AI in production. - The 2026 contest is already underway, and every Site of the Month winner during the year automatically qualifies for Site of the Year consideration. The details: - The 2026 edition cuts the vertical slate from ten categories to six. - The new vertical groups are Government, Associations & Education; Sport, Entertainment, Travel & Tourism; Financial Services; Healthcare; Industrial Manufacturing; and B2B & Consumer Brands. - Commerce is no longer a standalone category and is judged within the relevant industry. - Five bonus awards were added: Best Use of AI, Best SaaS Project, Best Multichannel Project, Best Upgrade Project and Best Migration Project. - Bonus awards can stack with a vertical win, so one project can take multiple honors. - Kentico tied the new awards to capabilities across Xperience by Kentico, AIRA and the Agentic Marketing Suite. - The Agentic Marketing Suite now includes four specialized agents that operate as a virtual marketing team. Between the lines: - The redesign suggests Kentico wants its awards to function as a signal for product direction, not just a retrospective honors list. - By giving AI its own category, Kentico is making a clear statement that agentic workflows are now part of mainstream enterprise digital delivery. - The tighter category structure also reduces fragmentation and makes it easier to compare projects across industries with similar needs. What’s next: - Site of the Year 2026 finalists will be evaluated by the international Kentico judging committee in tournament-style knockout rounds in January 2027. - Winners will be announced in the first week of February 2027. - Kentico’s 2025 competition had 10 category winners and 20 honorable mentions across regions including North America, EMEA and APAC. - The 2025 winners included LeShuttle Freight, Translink, MND Energie, ROC van Amsterdam & Flevoland, Bob W., Oppenheimer, Cleveland Metroparks, LivaNova, Pierret and the American Society of Landscape Architects. - The full 2025 list is available on the Kentico Awards page . The bottom line: - Kentico’s 2026 awards program turns AI, SaaS and migration work into top-tier recognition categories, signaling where the DXP vendor sees the industry heading. - Early 2026 entries already include projects from Integra LifeSciences and Tesco Mobile Ireland that fit the new model. - Integra LifeSciences rebuilt its corporate presence on Xperience by Kentico as SaaS with BizStream after a CMS sunset deadline. - Tesco Mobile Ireland replatformed from a custom ecommerce build onto Xperience by Kentico with Granite, adding a phone comparison tool, bundling and add-on checkout, and prepaid top-up functionality.