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New York’s cannabis scene is about to get its own red-carpet moment. Following a record-breaking $214.4 million in statewide sales, High Times Magazine is bringing its legendary Cannabis Cup to the Empire State for the first time—a consumer-judged showdown that lets everyday New Yorkers decide who rolls (and bakes) the best.
Starting October 21, adults 21 and over can snag judge’s kits packed with sample products—think edibles, pre-rolls and top-shelf flower—from participating dispensaries across the state. Judges will have until December 21 to test, taste and cast their votes online for categories including Best Sativa Flower, Best Indica Flower, Best Edible (Gummies) and Best Infused Pre-Roll, among others. Winners will be crowned at an awards show on January 16, 2026.
“It’s the Oscars of cannabis—and now you get to be part of the Academy,” High Times declares in its event materials. The People’s Choice edition has been running in other legal states since 2019, but this marks the first-ever New York Cup and the largest pool of judges in the competition’s history.
Founded in Amsterdam in 1988, the Cannabis Cup has grown into one of the most recognizable events in weed culture, with past judges including Snoop Dogg, Method Man and Patti Smith. The contest has helped turn under-the-radar strains into household names and given countless small producers a career-making boost.
This year’s New York edition is also a milestone for High Times itself—the first Cup since native New Yorker Joshua Kesselman (of Raw Rolling Papers fame) purchased the magazine in July. Kesselman has said he revived the competition to celebrate the sense of community that the Cup fosters and to bring that spirit home to his native state.
For cannabis brands, the Cup is a chance to reach hundreds of new customers and, possibly, claim one of the industry’s most coveted trophies. For everyone else, it’s a chance to sample, savor and judge the best the state’s booming cannabis market has to offer.
Judge kits go on sale October 21—because democracy tastes even better when it’s infused.