Caterpillar has revealed more details about its third Global Operator Challenge which will see thousands of participants compete worldwide.
The company has announced a cash prize of $10,000 is up for grabs, or an equal value trip for two to a location where Caterpillar has a facility.
The first round will see local operators compete against each other in challenges organised by their local Cat dealers. These will be held from January to September 2025 with the winners getting the chance to progress to the regional semi-finals.
From there nine finalists will be selected to participate in the final in March 2026 which will be held at Caterpillar’s outdoor Festival Grounds exhibit during CONEXPO-CON/AGG in Las Vegas.
“For nearly 100 years, our customers have been pushing the limits with our machines,” Caterpillar Construction Industries group president Tony Fassino said.
“This challenge helps showcase and celebrate the exceptional skills of the expert men and women in this important profession as they forge their legacies of being the best operators in the world.”
Operators will put their skills to the test on a wide range of equipment and technology to see who reigns supreme.
Competitions will feature at least three different challenges on at least three separate pieces of equipment.
Caterpillar says scoring is based on the operator’s skills, safety, efficiency and competence in using integrated technology such as payload, grade control and operator ease-of-use features to enhance the machine’s performance.
More than 140 Cat dealer competitions were held during the 2022–2023 challenge, attracting more than 10,000 operators from 32 countries. The 2025-2026 iteration will be more expansive than previous years and feature more events, countries and operators.