It’s that time of the year again when a worldwide panel of automotive journalists (organised by the Engine Technology International Magazine) identify the best engines in the world, which are split into different categories.

For 2012, the categories were New Engine; Green Engine; Performance Engine; Sub 1.0-Litre; 1.3-1.4-Litre; 1.4-1.8-Litre; 1.8-2.0-Litre; 2.0-2.5-Litre; 2.5-3.0-Litre; 3.0-4.0-Litre and above 4-Litre.

There’s also a final and somewhat important category, simply called the International Engine of the Year. As with any contest, we presume, there can only be one grand prize winner.

The International Engine of the Year 2012 Award went to Ford for their 1.0-Litre three-cylinder EcoBoost model, as used in european version of the Ford Focus. The small EcoBoost engine also took home top honors in the New Engine and Sub 1.0-Litre categories, since the actual displacement is 999 cubic centimeters, just one cc shy of a full litre.

Ferrari, unsurprisingly, took home Performance Engine of the Year honors for their 4.5-Litre V8 used in the superb 458 Italia and 458 Italia Spider. This is the second win for this particular engine in two years, and it also claimed first place in the 4.0-Litre and above category.

BMW added three new awards to their trophy cabinet, picking up wins in the 1.8-2.0-Litre category for their 2.0-Litre twin-turbo four-cylinder, 3.0-Litre biturbo six cylinder and the 4.0-Litre V8 engines with the latter being used in the current M3.

MINI, which you could say is under the BMW family tree, also took home a win in the 1.4-1.8-Litre cetegory with their 1.6-litre turbo four-cylinder engine used in the MINI S models. The same engine which makes an appearance in a wide variety of Peugeot automobiles.

The Volkswagen Group didn’t go home empty-handed either, they scooped up awards for both VW and Audi. Volkswagen won an award for its 1.4-Litre TSI Twincharger engine, as used in various European models. Audi won an award for its 2.5-Litre TFSI turbo engine which is used in the TT-RS and RS3 Sportback models.

General Motors took home top honors in the Green Engine category for their 1.4-Litre engine range found inside the hood of the Volt and Ampera.