There’s lots of competitions out there:
http://www.thesecretcup.com/
https://cannaisseurtour.com/contest/
http://www.saskprairiecup.ca/
http://thegoldentarp.com/
http://theelitecup.com/
http://homegrowncup.nl/
Have you managed to win an award at any of these (or any other) competitions? If so, post here to show off your wins.
public masturbation is illegal 
I’m not so impressed by all those award shows. They seem to pop-up in the same rates as trade shows. Yes, we have quite a few, but when I see that we get the same award as another company in that same year I seriously doubt the value of them, specifically if I see which other companies get the same award. If you have enough friends on social media…
Lol, if nothing else they’re good for marketing purposes. Are there any competitions that you see as more reputable than others?
So far I have seen none. Most are just popularity contests.
The cannabis cups have devalued with the amount that are given out. Even the old cannabis cups were more or less a marketing bought award. Try judging 100 samples in 2 weeks, just by a few hits and “what they look like”, and then also try to rule out personal preference. Impossible.
What do you think of the Grow-off, which is taking a testing-based approach?
yield, potency and flavor. Only potency however can be tested and that comes from a 2 gram sample? Who took that sample and from which flowers? I can show you 10 samples taken from different plants or sections and you will see 10 different potency results. How is potency defined, by THC alone? That is total bullshit. Look at CBC, CBG and THVC for example, which are seldom ever tested. I used to be the interim marketing director for Alpha Nova, who developed the cannalytics TLC test, and I was a certified tester. We already knew then that you can easily influence tests by providing the right sample.
How do they test yield? And what yield? Per W? Per day growing? Per square meter? I could not find it on the website. Flavor is also something very personal and in many ways a result of the drying and curing process, and the time you have a plant under light. You can argue that drying and curing is not a part of the cultivation process, but a processing skill.
yield, potency and flavor seldom go hand in hand. Cultivation methods differ for different cultivars. You know as well as I do that growing a specific cultivar optimally might take a few cycles to tune in. And then of course, at what cost is it grown? I can promise you that if you take for example an all plasma room that you will get phenomenal results, but no cultivator will ever use that as a commercial setup.
So what does it prove and how accurate are the results? It is, again, IMHO a great marketing showcase and for that it serves a purpose. I’m not sure however how consumers benefit from it.
btw… I see no scientists on the team? And no mission?
I believe it was percent of dry mass (THC).
I asked them about it for the article I did on them, and they said it was per plant. So the idea is everyone starts with a clone, and the company that can grow the biggest clone wins the yield award.
Honestly, I think that was the point. People going for all three may experience some sadness.
Here’s the article Hunter is talking about, for reference:
so who grows the largest plant in Scrog (explains the large plants) and who takes samples of the densest bud material grown under the coolest light. Good case for plasma - lots of terpenes, very dense flowers, high THC content - am sure I can veg it for a month or two 
In any contest there’s going to be a certain amount of trying to game the system. I’m sure as the contest progresses they’ll improve their methods for standardizing and making sure the playing field is as level as possible. I’m excited to see where it goes.
Bumping this topic for the newer folks.
