GrowDiaries Awards (Grow Awards; first edition called POTY / Plant of the Year)
A community-voted awards run by the GrowDiaries team, which started as POTY, grew into the Grow Awards and now covers seeds, gear and growers.
- 26results on record
- 2022–2026years in our data
- 5editions
- 12matched to strains
- Barcelona, Spainlatest location
01Beginnings
The earliest edition the sources point to is POTY 2022, the name this event used before it became the Grow Awards.2 A 2025 announcement lists some of the POTY 2022 winners, including A.M.S. from Green House Seed Co. as Best Strain and Dutch Passion as Best Breeder.2
The sources do not give a founding year for the awards or for GrowDiaries.12 They also do not explain why the name changed from POTY to Grow Awards.
02The story
The Grow Diaries team is named as the organiser.2 The 2025 edition was described as the third award ceremony for products featured on the platform.2 The sources do not say what happened in 2024.
The 2023 edition is on record too. Sweet Zenzation XL Auto from Sweet Seeds took Best Strain, and Royal Queen Seeds took Best Breeder.2
In 2025 the awards added three new categories, Best Air Filters Brand, Best Hydroponic Systems Brand and Best Ventilation Fans Brand. They came from a new Equipment section.2 A February 2025 note flagged the last chance to vote.2
The 2026 results came out on 4 March 2026. Royal Gorilla from Royal Queen Seeds won Best Strain, and Gorilla Cookies Auto from Fast Buds won Best Autoflowering Strain.1 Royal Queen Seeds was named Best Breeder again, and Fast Buds took Best Autoflower Breeder.1
03Culture
This is a people's choice event. The 2026 results rest on votes from the community and on feedback from diaries, with growers taking part from around the world.1
Growers themselves win awards, not only companies. Chubbs was named Best Grower, and Schnabeldino was named Most Popular Grower, based on likes for 2025 diaries.1 Diary awards were also given for indoor, autoflower and outdoor grows.1
On the gear side, AC Infinity won the tent, air filter and ventilation fan categories. Plagron won the nutrient, organic nutrient and substrate categories. SANlight took grow lights, and Spider Farmer took hydroponic systems.1
04Now
The 2026 edition is the latest one in the sources. Its winners were published on 4 March 2026.1 The article compares the results with the 2025 winners, and that is the only other edition it mentions.1
For 2025, the winners were due to receive their awards at Spannabis, on 14 to 16 March 2025.2 The sources do not name the host city.2 They also do not say where the 2026 winners were handed their awards, or whether there was a ceremony at all.1
05Future
The sources say nothing about plans for a 2027 edition, new categories, or changes to how voting works.12
The one trend visible is growth in scope. The 2025 edition brought in an Equipment section with new gear categories, and the 2026 list kept them.12
The results, in our data
CannaLib holds 26 results from this cup across 5 years (2022 to 2026), 12 of them matched to a strain in the catalogue.
Recent first-place strains
| Year | Strain | Category | Entrant |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Royal Gorilla | Best Strain |  Royal Queen Seeds |
| 2026 | Gorilla Cookies Auto | Best Autoflowering Strain |  Fast Buds |
| 2025 | Lemon Cherry Cookies Auto | Best Autoflowering Strain | Fast Buds |
| 2025 | Permanent Marker | Best Strain |  Seed Junky Genetics |
| 2023 | Gorilla Cookies Auto | Best Autoflowering Strain | Fast Buds |
| 2022 | Speed Auto | Best Autoflowering Strain |  Sweet Seeds |
| 2022 | Forbidden Runtz Auto | Best Novelty Autoflowering Strain | Fast Buds |
Editions on record
- 2022 · Barcelona, Spain (Spannabis)
- 2023 · Barcelona, Spain (undisclosed central venue, March 2023)
- 2025 · Barcelona, Spain (Spannabis 2025)
- 2026 · Barcelona, Spain (presumed Spannabis 2026)
Sources
- Grow Awards 2026 Winners: Community-Voted Best Cannabis Brands and Gear
- Grow Awards 2025: Time to Cast Your Vote
Written from the sources above and checked on 2026-11-08. Spot an error? Tell us on the contact page.