The Emerald Cup continues to serve as the top trend-setter and taste-maker for the California cannabis market with each annual competition providing a clear view of what cannabis connoisseurs will be demanding in the years to come. Over 180 Emerald Cup Awards were presented at the iconic Montalbán Theatre in Hollywood, California in May of 2022 as the Northern and Southern California cannabis communities converged for the star-studded ceremony featuring the state’s best brands and farms.
Who will take home the top honors in 2023? That journey begins this December when the entry window for the upcoming competition opens at the 2022 Emerald Cup Harvest Ball at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds in Santa Rosa, California.
ECHB ’22 passes are currently available for presale at www.theemeraldcup.com.
THE EMERALD CUP COMPETITION ALMANAC IS LIVE
Launching for the first time, all 2023 Emerald Cup Award winners and competition participants will be featured in the ever evolving Emerald Cup Competition Almanac – a full spectrum compendium of cannabis cultivation data compiled by the Emerald Cup judging and its testing partner SC Labs.
A work in progress by definition, the Almanac will grow year-by-year as an annual breakdown of hundreds of Emerald Cup entries including high resolution photography, detailed genetic lineage, in-depth analysis on terpene content, specific notes taken by official Emerald Cup Judges, past awards, links back to the brand websites, and more. Unrivaled in the cannabis space, this unique trove of information has proven to directly influence production and sales trends in California’s regulated cannabis market and beyond. Look for the relevance and market value of the Emerald Cup Competition Almanac to rise as the years go on and more comparative data is added.
HARVEST BALL IS A CELEBRATION OF SMALL CANNABIS FARMERS
The very first Emerald Cup competition and gathering were held nearly two decades ago in 2004 located in the heart of the Emerald Triangle. Long before it was safe or legal, many of the local farmers brave enough to participate in those early days literally wore masks to the event to hide their identity from law enforcement or even from their peers. This year, the Emerald Cup Harvest Ball is excited to continue celebrating the small farmers by bringing back the 2022 Emerald Cup Small Farms Initiative, with more details scheduled to be unveiled on September 26th, 2022.
Through this effort, over two dozen designated small cannabis farms and equity operators were granted heavily discounted vending space at the Harvest Ball in the Emerald Cup Marketplace, pro bono marketing and promotion throughout the 2021 Harvest Ball event, and discounted application fees for the Emerald Cup Competition.
The Emerald Cup and the California cannabis scene have both come a long way since the early days but one thing remains the same and that is the deeply-rooted respect that the event founders and organizers have for small-scale, mom n’ pop, legacy, and craft cannabis farmers.
“Small farmers have been the backbone of every society going back to ancient times. We celebrate small farmers for dedicating their lives to providing life-giving nourishment and life improving medicines,” says Tim Blake, Founder of the Emerald Cup.
Too many of California’s cannabis consumers have been slow to realize the importance and the quality of craft-batch cannabis harvested with care by small farmers, but these experienced cultivators have had their hands in the soil for many years, and for many years they have been celebrated for their accomplishments at the Emerald Cup.
In 2021, the Emerald Cup launched the Small Farms Initiative, led by a council of community leaders, including Tim Blake of the Emerald Cup, Michael Katz of the Mendocino Cannabis Alliance, Genine Coleman of Origins Council, Chris Anderson of Redwood Roots Distribution, Nicholas Smilgys of Mendocino Cannabis Distribution, Brandy Moulton of Sovereign 707, and Traci Pellar of the Mendocino Producers Guild.
Continuing the grassroots tradition, the 2023 Emerald Cup Competition seeks to encompass all forms of cannabis consumption by inviting conscious craftspeople, cultivators, and manufacturers to participate in the most highly regarded match-up of the year. The 2023 Emerald Cup Awards – scheduled for May 2023 in Los Angeles – will feature winners from the following categories:
FLOWER
Sungrown
Mixed Light
Indoor
Sungrown Greenhouse
3rd Party Certified – Sungrown
3rd Party Certified – Mixed Light
Personal Use
PRE-ROLL
Non-Infused
Solventless Infused
Solvent Infused
Hemp Wrap (NEW)
Deluxe Joints (NEW)
SOLVENTLESS CONCENTRATE
Ice Water Hash
Rosin
Personal Use Solventless
SOLVENT CONCENTRATE
Solid
Liquid
CARTRIDGE
Solventless
Live Rosin
Distillate
CO2
EDIBLE
Sweet
Savory
Gummy
Beverage
Beverage Enhancer
“Health Conscious” Edible (NEW)
TOPICAL
Cosmetic
Therapeutic
Personal Use
TINCTURE
Tincture
Wellness – Capsules, Tabs (NEW)
ALTERNATIVE CANNABINOIDS
Edible
“Health Conscious” Edible (NEW)
Beverage
Cartridge
Topical
Tincture
Hemp Topical
Hemp Flower
Hemp Consumable
INNOVATIVE PRODUCT
Industry Asset
Consumable
PHOTO COMPETITION
Amateur
Professional
BEST DISPENSARY
Northern
Central
Southern
WILLIE NELSON AWARD
Weekend Passes to attend this year’s Emerald Cup Harvest Ball on December 10-11th, 2022 at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds, in Santa Rosa, California are available for presale now at www.theemeraldcup.com. To participate in the 2023 Emerald Cup Competition and to have your cannabis featured in the Emerald Cup Competition Almanac, complete the entry process in person at the 2022 Emerald Cup Harvest Ball or visit www.theemeraldcup.com once the entry window officially opens on December 10th, 2022.
To participate, 2022 Emerald Cup Harvest Ball Sponsor and Vendor opportunities
are available now on the Emerald Cup website: www.theemeraldcup.com
For more information on The Emerald Cup Harvest Ball 2022, The Emerald Cup Awards 2023, or media requests and/or interviews with founder, Tim Blake, please contact Kenneth Loo (Chapter 2 Agency), PR & Communications at [email protected].
ABOUT THE EMERALD CUP
The Emerald Cup is the world’s premier cannabis brand destination and iconic live event. While advancing the concept of sustainable farming, the iconic 19-year old organization’s reputation is firmly solidified as the largest and most respected cannabis competition in the world. As an organization, The Emerald Cup prides itself in bringing together the leading experts in the cannabis industry to educate and inspire our fellow farmers, patients, and patrons each year. The community celebration has grown to become a global movement honoring each year’s finest, organic, sun and indoor-grown, cannabis harvest, as well as the finest cannabis products available starting with the annual Harvest Ball Festival which marks the start of the Emerald Cup Competition. The Cup has stood as a celebration of excellence and over the years the founder, Tim Blake, has been recognized as one of the guardians of the cannabis industry.
