The Oregon Growers Cup marks its 12th annual edition on Saturday, December 12, 2026, with a members-only awards day at 454 Gravel Pit Lane in Riddle, Oregon, from noon to 6:00 PM. It's a blind-judged competition open to any Oregon OLCC, OMMP or adult recreational grower, and the award ceremony is where the trophies finally change hands.
How the judging works
Judges never see a brand or strain name, only an entry number and category. Every entry is screened for pesticides and residual solvents by Rose City Labs, and judges get their samples two weeks before the event. Each entry is scored from 1 to 5 on four criteria, including taste and look.
The judging panel comes out of Oregon's legacy community. The 2025 panel included Heston Allcorn, Paul Stanford, William Braveheart, Carl Kauhn, Joey Banta, Brenda Akin, Dave Uribe, Madeline Martinez and John Sajo.
Categories and entries
The competition covers indoor flower, home grow and medical, pre-rolls, infused pre-rolls, edibles, solventless, BHO, CBD extracts, hash, drinkables, carts and topicals. Entries are $250 each, with a December 4 intake deadline, or November 28 for untested product.
GrowMaster is the side bracket worth watching. Instead of entering your own genetics, every contestant grows clones from the same strain, so the only variable left is the grower. It's $250 per entry across indoor, greenhouse and outdoor categories, with clones handed out May 1–June 15, 2026.
Winners take home a trophy, a custom digital logo and advertising on the Cup's website and social media.
The awards day
Ngaio Bealum, from Netflix's Cooking on High, hosts. Expect guest speakers, a vendor village, live music, giveaways and swag, canna games, People's Choice and the award ceremony.
Admission runs through an annual membership. General is $40 and VIP is $100, and both include parking. VIP adds a swag bag and People's Choice judging access at 1:00 PM. The event is 21+ only.
Who's behind it
The crew behind the Cup has been producing cannabis cups for more than 11 years, running the Oregon Growers Cup and Oregon Hempfest since 2015. Its Growers Cup Legacy video series looks back at the competition's history. Riddle sits in Douglas County in southern Oregon, so plan on a road trip rather than a Portland convention hall, and line up a sober ride home.
More cups on the calendar
Following the competition circuit? The Harvest Cup runs in Worcester in November, Best in Grass New Jersey hands out its awards the same month, and the Zalympix guide covers another cup worth knowing. Check the official site for last-minute changes.