Cali weed stays winning.

The post Emerald Cup 2024 winners and where to find them appeared first on Leafly.

The post Emerald Cup 2024 winners and where to find them appeared first on Paradise Found.

The future keeps happening in California first—this time with world-class weed in the most mainstream setting of all: The state fair. In late June, the California State Fair started notifying the winners of its third annual Cannabis Awards, organized by Embarc. The medal holders on the podium represent the peak of the craft of cannabis […]

The post California State Fair’s cannabis award winners 2024 and how to smoke them appeared first on Leafly.

The post California State Fair’s cannabis award winners 2024 and how to smoke them appeared first on Paradise Found.

Refined work on lemony strains, Gelato lines, and Zkittlez lines took trophies.

The post Winners emerge from the haze of The Ego Clash Invitational 2023 appeared first on Leafly.

The post Winners emerge from the haze of The Ego Clash Invitational 2023 appeared first on Paradise Found.

The Prairie State is known for so much more than just vast stretches of grassland. Now four years after we launched the first Illinois: People’s Choice Edition, we’ve seen a wide variety of cannabis products and brands take home a coveted High Times trophy. But this year in particular, Illinois cannabis brands have given it everything they’ve got.

We announced the launch of this year’s Illinois: People’s Choice Edition 2023 earlier this summer, and gathered up some of the state’s finest products spanning 15 different categories, both adult-use and medical. But we previously held the hugely successful Illinois: People’s Choice Edition in 2020, 2021, and 2022. Here’s a glimpse of the trending strains and other products that won over our resident judges back then.

Even though the world was still waist-deep in the pandemic at the time, Illinois cannabis brands came through with shining colors. At the Illinois: People’s Choice Edition 2020, the fourth People’s Choice Edition competition to launch following the 2020 Hemp Cup, Oklahoma, and Colorado, with only seven categories. Back then, Revolution Cannabis brought home trophies with Florida Orange, Gorilla’d Cheese, and Turbo Lemon Cake, while we also saw wins from Bedford Grow with Grape Sugar Cookies, Velvet Glove with Columbia Care, Jenny Kush with Aeriz, Private Stock Mag Landrace with Verano, and Red Line Haze with Cresco, in addition to many other worthwhile wins from other product categories.

In 2021 the category list increased up to eight, and Revolution Cannabis took home numerous trophies for strains such as Blueberry Clementine, Mac & Cheese (Spicy Papaya Cut), Banana Runtz, along with Seed & Strain’s Velvet Glove, Aeriz’s Ice Cream Cake and Jenny Kush, Cresco’s Lemon Bean, and Triple 7’s Tropical Runtz and Rainbow Runtz.

That same year, NuEra, Seed & Strain, and Aeriz won in the pre-rolls category. In concentrates, Revolution Cannabis’s Blueberry Clementine Live Resin, Bedford Grow’s Highwayman Live Resin, and Aeriz’s Bundy OG Budder took home a win. Not to mention in edibles, Illinoisans rated edibles from Bedford Grow, Sweet Releaf, Revolution Cannabis, and Bhang, too.

In 2022 our category list increased again, this time to eleven. Brands such as RYTHM entered the game strong with Brownie Scout (and Orange Herijuana in the medical flower category), Fig Farms brought its famous Figment strain, along with UPNORTH’s Durban Poison, Floracal’s Vanilla Cake, and Verano Reserve’s Guru 0 for medical flower. But the previous year’s winning brands also came in with Bedford Grow’s I-95 and Revolution Cannabis’s Peach Crescendo, Miami Punch, and Gorilla’d Cheese (as well as Buttermilk Biscuits in the medical flower category). Revolution Cannabis, RYTHM, and Floracal were also chosen as the winning concentrates and extracts as well.

This time capsule of winners from the past three years shows the evolution of popular brands in Illinois, as you’ll see below. Exceptional cannabis is still being cultivated by Revolution Cannabis, RHYTHM, Aeriz, Verano, Fig Farms, and so much more, but you’ll also find a handful of new brands that joined the competition this year. So without further ado, here is the official list of Illinois: People’s Choice Edition 2023 winners.

In the meantime, the High Times Cannabis Cup: People’s Choice Edition continues to gain speed, so keep an eye out for winners in other regions such as Oregon in December, Massachusetts in January 2024, followed by Arizona in February 2024.

Indica Flower

First Place: nuEra – Cobra Milk

Second Place: RYTHM – Animal Face

Third Place: Revolution – Purple Monarch

Sativa Flower

First place: RYTHM – Jack Herer

Second Place: Revolution – Raspberry Shortcake

Third Place: Seed & Strain – White Grapefruit Cookies

Hybrid Flower

First Place: RYTHM – Slapz

Second Place: Revolution – Crockett’s Dawg

Third Place: Verano Reserve – Yum Yum Reserve Flower

Non-Infused Pre-Rolls

First Place: Revolution – Blueberry Clementine

Second Place: Paul Bunyan – Macnanna

Third Place: Dogwalkers – Mini Dogs – Animal Face

Infused Pre-Rolls

First Place: Moon Walkers – Coffee Creamer Solventless Live Rosin Moon Walkers

Second Place: Revolution – Future Kush Rocket

Third Place: Bedford Grow – Diamond-Infused Pre-Roll – Hot Mint Sundae

Solvent Concentrates

First Place: aeriz – Florida Oranges

Second Place: Superflux – Live Resin Strawberry Bubbles Budder

Third Place: RYTHM – Live Resin – Super Silver Cookies

Non-Solvent Concentrates

First Place: Fig Farms – Blue Face

Second Place: RYTHM – Rosin – Sunset Sherbet

Third Place: Revolution – Moon Boots

Vape Pens & Carts

First Place: Revolution – Florida Orange Live Rosin

Second Place: Superflux – Strawberry Bubbles Live Resin

Third Place: On the Rocks – Fresh Powder Live Rosin Cartridge

Edibles: Gummies

First Place: Goody Bag – Pink Lemonade

Second Place: nuEra – Pink Lemonade Live Resin Gummy

Third Place: Hedy – Sour Cherry Lime Gummies

Edibles: Chocolates & Non-Gummies

First Place: Incredibles – Peanut Budda Buddha Bar

Second Place: KIVA – Churro Bar

Third Place: Mindy’s – Caramelized Chocolate Marshmallow Graham

Edibles: Beverages

First Place: Señorita – Mango

Second Place: CQ – Cola

Third Place: Artet – Mango Ginger Spritz

Topicals, Tinctures, & Capsules

First Place: Doctor Solomon’s – Restore Transdermal Lotion

Second Place: Avexia – Pain Relief Balm 1:1 CBD:THC

Third Place: Remedi – Rest 1:5 Capsules

Medical Flower

First Place: Revolution – Blueberry Clementine

Second Place: RYTHM – Black Afghan

Third Place: Verano Essence – Strawberry Guava Essence

Medical Vape Pens

First Place: Revolution – Blueberry Clementine Live Rosin Cart

Second Place: Beboe – Inspired Vape Pen

Third Place: Verano Reserve – Coconut Cream Pie Reserve Live Resin Cart

Medical Edibles

First Place: Nature’s Grace and Wellness – French Toast White Chocolate Crunch Bar 1:1:1 THC:CBD:CBG

Second Place: Bedford Grow – Sea Salt Caramels

Third Place: On the Rocks – Sour Apricot Apple – Cherry Punch Live Rosin Gummies

A special thank you to our partners and sponsors!

Official Intake Partners:

• Rise Dispensary
• nuEra
• Zen Leaf
• Beyond Hello
• Lux Leaf
• Star Buds

Bronze Sponsor: Kaviar

General Sponsor: Legacy

The post The Winners of the High Times Cannabis Cup Illinois: People’s Choice Edition 2023 appeared first on High Times.

The post The Winners of the High Times Cannabis Cup Illinois: People’s Choice Edition 2023 appeared first on Paradise Found.

Benzinga loves how much we work to serve you, dear reader.

The post Leafly awarded ‘best consumer weed platform’ of 2023 appeared first on Leafly.

The post Leafly awarded ‘best consumer weed platform’ of 2023 appeared first on Paradise Found.

The time is upon us, so pack your bowls and fire up your torches, and if you’re a brand with the best, may the odds ever be in your favor. High Times Cannabis Cup Illinois: People’s Choice Edition is coming to town. For over 35 years, High Times Cannabis Cup events—often imitated but not duplicated—have showcased the finest cannabis and cannabis products on the planet. But like all People’s Choice events, Judge Kits are open to the public.

The High Times Cannabis Cup Illinois: People’s Choice Edition aims to identify and award the best cannabis products across Illinois, representing the many facets of cannabis in a wide range of categories, to be judged by the great people of The Prairie State. This year, new concentrate and edible categories have been added to the mix to crank it up a notch.

This event will be the fourth-ever competition that is open to the Illinois public and will see one of the largest pools of judges in history. This is a sampling dream if you’re a connoisseur of exquisite cannabis profiles. 

New flower products will face off what’s new in town in three categories, as well as infused and non-infused pre-rolls. But if it’s concentrates you’re after, solventless and non-solventless offerings will face off as well as edibles, vape pens, sublinguals, capsules, and tinctures. Flower and other products are judged on Aesthetics/Visual Appeal of product, not the packaging, as well as Aroma/Scent, Taste/Flavor Profile, Burnability, Effects/Effectiveness, and Terpene Profile.

Last year at High Times Cannabis Cup Illinois: People’s Choice Edition, some notable winners include the unforgettable and psychedelic Fig Farms Figment (Purple Fig x Animal Mints 199 #4, First Place Sativa Flower) with a lavender and confetti cake taste, which is now emerging in the Illinois market, and RYTHM Brownie Scout (Platinum Girl Scout Cookies x Kosher Kush, First Place Indica Flower) that has “a blazingly intense initial surge, then dives into an exultant indica trance.”

Among the concentrate winners of last year, Gorilla’d Cheese Rosin (GG#4 x Clementine, First Place Concentrates & Extracts) by Revolution Cannabis snagged for its cheesy, earthy flavor with Limonene, Beta-Caryophyllene, Beta-Myrcene, Linalool, and Elemene.

Competitor product submissions will be accepted August 7-11 across Illinois. Judge Kits will be available across Illinois Saturday, August 19, including official intake partners RISE Dispensary, nuEra, and Zen Leaf locations. Judges simply login to the Judging Portal and select the corresponding event to begin judging. The judging deadline is October 22, and on November 5, winners will be announced via digital Awards Show.

May the best products win.

15 CATEGORIES:

1. Indica Flower (3 entries Max per Company)
2. Sativa Flower (3  entries Max per Company)  
3. Hybrid Flower (3 entries Max per Company) 
4. Non-Infused Pre-Rolls (2 entries Max per Company) 
5. Infused Pre-Rolls (1 entry Max per Company)
6. Solvent Concentrates (2 entries Max per Company) 
7. Non-Solvent Concentrates (2 entries Max per Company) 
8. Vape Pens & Cartridges (1 entry Max per Company) (Category may split)
9. Edibles: Gummies & Fruit Chews  (1 entry Max per Company)
10. Edibles: Chocolates & Non-Gummies  (1 entry Max per Company)
11. Edibles: Beverages (1 entry Max per Company)
12. Sublinguals, Capsules, Tinctures + Topicals (1 Entry Max per Company) 
13. Medical: Flower (3 entries Max per Company)
14. Medical: Vape Pens (2 entries per Company)
15. Medical: Edibles (1 entry Max per Company)

Now’s the time to visit the High Times Cannabis Cup website to see how you can get involved with the The High Times Cannabis Cup Illinois: People’s Choice Edition this year.

A special thank you to our partners!

The post High Times Cannabis Cup Illinois: People’s Choice Edition 2023 Kicks Off appeared first on High Times.

The post High Times Cannabis Cup Illinois: People’s Choice Edition 2023 Kicks Off appeared first on Paradise Found.

Presented by Hemp Hop, The High Times Hemp Cup: People’s Choice Edition unites competitors and judges from all areas of the hemp space. The festivities begin this January as High Times begins accepting entries, and the event wraps up April 3, 2022, with the official Digital Awards Show.

The High Times Hemp Cup: People’s Choice Edition aims to identify and award the best hemp-derived CBD products across the nation. That’s why we provide a wide range of different categories, covering everything from topicals to pet products.

The 2018 Farm Bill pretty much changed everything, for better or for worse. It reshaped the landscape for hemp farmers, processors and extractors, paving the way for hemp competitions that are open to the public. 

This event will be the only the second time this competition is open to the nationwide public, and we will see the largest pool of judges in the cup’s history. This is a sampling dream to get your products into the hands of hundreds of new customers—complete with feedback on your entries and thousands of impressions. May the best products win!

Competitor product submissions can be sent to Long Beach, California during the time period spanning January 17-21, 2022. And guess what? Judge Kits will be on-sale for online ordering across the nation on January 29, 2022. The judging timeframe runs from January 29, 2022 through March 20, 2022. 

To compete in the High Times Hemp Cup: People’s Choice Edition, contact a High Times Sales Rep or visit CannabisCup.com/Contact for more info. To judge, register to receive an official Judges Kit.

The Digital Awards Show will take place on Sunday, April 3, 2022, where we will present the more luxurious hemp offerings around. With this in mind, stay hydrated, stash some munchies, find a designated driver or do whatever other steps you need to ensure it’s a safe competition.

Keep in mind—this is strictly a hemp-derived CBD competition only. All products must be registered by the State of origin and must have proof of lab results confirming the product is hemp-derived and under 0.3 percent delta-9 THC. Also keep in mind, Delta-8 THC products will be judged separately from the other categories.

We also want to give a shoutout to our Silver Sponsor, Orange County CBD, as well as our Bronze Sponsor, Sweet Sensi. We couldn’t bring these amazing events to the public without their support.

Hemp Cup: What You Need to Know

There will be plenty of categories to choose from covering all of the facets of the hemp industry. Entry categories include Hemp-Derived CBD Edibles: Gummies (NO Delta-8 allowed); Hemp-Derived CBD Edibles: Non-Gummies (NO Delta-8 allowed); Hemp-Derived CBD Tinctures + Capsules (NO Delta-8 allowed); Hemp-Derived CBD Topicals (NO Delta-8 allowed); Hemp-Derived CBD Flower (NO Delta-8 allowed); Hemp-Derived CBD Pre-Rolls (NO Delta-8 allowed); Hemp-Derived CBD Concentrates (NO Delta-8 allowed); Hemp-Derived CBD Vape Pens (NO Delta-8 allowed); Hemp-Derived CBD Pet Products (NO Delta-8 allowed) and Delta-8 Products – Mixed Products.

Each category has different benefits and perks for being crowned with a High Times Hemp Cup Award, depending on the award.

Please keep in mind the entry requirements, which are different for each category, and they are listed below:

• Flower: (200) 1-2g samples
• Pre-Rolls: (200) samples around 1-2g
• Concentrates and Vapes: (200) .5-1g samples
• Edibles: (200) Samples 
• Topicals, Tinctures and Capsules: (200) samples
• Delta-8 Products: (200) samples
• Pet Products: (100) samples

Entry pricing is $500 per entry that is submitted. Enter 3-4, and get one more—free. Enter 5-7 and get two more free entries. Enter 8-11 and get three more free entries. Enter over a dozen and get five more free.

Since 1988, High Times Cannabis Cup events have taken shape all over the world. Now’s your chance to be part of the action.

The post High Times Hemp Cup: People’s Choice Edition 2022 Takes Shape appeared first on High Times.

The post High Times Hemp Cup: People’s Choice Edition 2022 Takes Shape appeared first on Paradise Found.

Flowers only. Sorry edibles lovers.

The post California State Fair’s new cannabis competition for 2022 is gonna be lit appeared first on Leafly.

The post California State Fair’s new cannabis competition for 2022 is gonna be lit appeared first on Paradise Found.

Be the judge of your state’s best pot.

The post New crop of cannabis contests announced for US appeared first on Leafly.

The post New crop of cannabis contests announced for US appeared first on Paradise Found.

Gelonade and Ice Cream Cake take top wins in the world’s biggest legal cannabis contest.

The post The Emerald Cup’s 2021 winners and where to buy them appeared first on Leafly.

The post The Emerald Cup’s 2021 winners and where to buy them appeared first on Paradise Found.