Are you ready for the heat that will define Southern California in 2024? The High Times Cannabis Cup SoCal: People’s Choice Edition is back in town, and the offerings of cannabis flower and products are set to redefine the selection. It’s an adult-use competition celebrating some of the best cannabis products in the region—one of the largest cannabis markets of its kind on the planet.
Product submissions will be accepted from cannabis retailers and businesses beginning April 29. Judge Kits go on-sale beginning on May 6. Judges will have nearly two months to let the Once that takes place, Judges will be expected to narrow down the winners by July 7.
Judges fill out scorecards, indicating how each submission measured up. Judges assess how each strain looks, tastes, smells, effects, and burnability on a scale of one to 10. An email is automatically sent to confirm each time a strain or product review is submitted. The emails also serve as a placement point to know which strains have already been completed. These scorecards ultimately determine who wins. Finally, the winners of this highly-anticipated event will be announced via a livestream on July 28.
The original High Times Cannabis Cup SoCal was first introduced as an in-person event that was held between 2015-2019. The pandemic changed things up, shifting a move into People’s Choice events which put the power in the hands of the people, in this case, the fine people of Southern California.
This High Times Cannabis Cup event offers consumers the unique opportunity to experience the finest cannabis available to consumers—relative to the specific market of Southern California. For retailers, this is more than just a competition—it’s a chance to elevate products on a
For cannabis brands that wish to submit products for this year’s competition, please refer to the following rules to bring your product to a global stage and compete for the esteemed High Times Cannabis Cup.
- Indica Flower (2 entries max per company)
- Sativa Flower (3 entries max per company)
- Hybrid Flower (2 entries max per company)
- Pre-Rolls (3 entries max per company)
- Infused Pre-Rolls (2 entry max per company)
- Solvent Concentrates (3 entries max per company)
- Non-Solvent Concentrates (2 entries max per company)
- Vape Pens & Cartridges (2 entries max per company; Category may split)
- Edibles: Gummies & Fruit Chews (3 entries max per company)
- Edibles: Chocolates & Non-Gummies (3 entries max per company)
- Edibles: Beverages (2 entries max per company)
- Sublinguals, Capsules, Tinctures + Topicals (3 entries max per company)
Please also adhere to the following entry requirements. Flower submissions will be 1-gram samples. We will not accept any 3.5-gram entries. Pre-Rolls and infused pre-roll samples will also have the following requirements. Pre-Rolls will be capped at 2 grams of flower-only each; Infused pre-rolls will be capped at 3-gram flower equivalency or 1 gram concentrate equivalency each.
For concentrates and vape pens, we will accept 5-gram samples. We will not accept any 1-gram entries—and keep in mind that batteries are required for carts. Edibles) samples will have a 100 mg THC maximum amount. Sublinguals, capsules, tinctures and topical samples will be capped with a 500mg THC max.
Competitors should note the entry fees are dependent upon how many products they submit. While one entry is $250, and two entries will be priced at $100 per entry, both non-refundable, and submissions of three or more entries is a $100 refundable deposit per entry held, which is refunded when all entries are successfully submitted.
Potential sponsors for this year’s High Times Cannabis Cup SoCal: People’s Choice Edition 2024 will have all entry fees waived. We also offer multiple tiers of sponsorship, including General, Bronze, Silver, and Presenting Sponsorships.
That sums up the details of our event this year but check out our High Times Cannabis Cup website to view all of the details. For a sense of what to expect, check out who shined and who took home awards at the past several years of SoCal Cannabis Cup events.
Last year’s winners highlighted known and respected brands including Fig Farms, Team Elite Genetics, Papa’s Select, Top Shelf Cultivation, Maven Genetics. In 2022, we were also amazed with what we saw at the 2022 SoCal: People’s Choice Edition. That year, winners such as Top Shelf Cultivation’s Whoa Si Whoa, Sense’s Pink Certz Flower, Wizard Trees’s Studio 54, and Team Elite Genetics’s Pearadise Flower took home many titles. You can expect to see more surprises this year.
Cannabis Cups were first conceived in 1987 by former High Times editor Steven Hager, and slowly spread out from The Netherlands to legal jurisdiction across the world. Join the ranks of the elite and put your product to the ultimate test. May the best brands prevail!