National Cannabis Championship
A home-grower contest born at a Washington, D.C. festival, with a documented trail that runs from a 2021 save-the-date to a 2024 winners' recap.
- 27results on record
- 2022–2024years in our data
- 3editions
- 19matched to strains
- Washington, D.C.latest location
01Beginnings
On 27 October 2021 the National Cannabis Festival (NCF) in Washington, D.C. announced a new contest: the inaugural National Cannabis Championship, paired with an awards show1. The idea was to have home-growing THC enthusiasts and hemp fans from across the mid-Atlantic compete with each other bud for bud1.
Registration for that first edition was set to open on 30 November 2021, with entries due by 20 March 20221. The finale was planned for 24 April 2022 at Echostage in Washington, D.C., the day after the festival itself1. The organizers listed three aims: showcase east coast cultivators, share consumer-safety and growing education, and help people push for legal home grow in restrictive states1.
02The story so far
The 2022 edition was presented by Gentleman Toker and offered six categories spanning THC and hemp2. The THC flower categories were split between D.C. and Virginia, with a grand prize contested by finalists from both2. The hemp categories (flowers, edibles and topicals) were open to eight states plus D.C., from New York down to Virginia and West Virginia2. State laws limited the THC side of the contest, which kept out growers in places such as Maryland, Pennsylvania and West Virginia2.
By the 2024 edition the map had changed. Maryland growers joined for the first time, after the state's home-grow right took effect on 1 July 20233. The format used four kinds of title: a Grand Champion belt, a cannabinoid belt, a terpene belt, and state champion titles for Virginia, D.C. and Maryland3. Registration closed on 27 January 2024, samples were collected from 4 February to 2 March 2024, and winners were announced live on the NCF main stage on 19 April 20243.
The 2024 contest was billed as the third annual edition and was judged in three rounds: lab testing, state judging and a blind final4. Andras Kirschner of District Cannabis took the Grand Champion title4. The state champions were Jay Wright for Maryland, Eric Zirnfeld for Virginia and Mikeda Better for D.C.4. None of the sources used for this page describe the 2023 edition, so the years between the first and third contests are not documented here.
03Culture and community
Community involvement has been part of the contest from early on. The 2022 edition added a Community Judge Competition, in which Gentleman Toker hand-picked three community members to sit alongside the official judges2. For 2024, registered contestants were invited to an NCC Grower's Gathering on 29 November 20233. Virginia's 2024 round drew more than 20 entries, which the organizers said almost swamped the state's judges4.
D.C. reached its own milestone in 2024, when home growers and professional growers both took part for the first time4. The results were announced on the NCF main stage by host Poet Taylor and Maryland state judge Sebi Medina-Tayac4. The organizers' recap thanked sponsors including Levo, King Palm and Cap City Organics4.
04Where it stands now
The newest source available is the NCF recap dated 2 May 2024, which covers the third edition4. None of the sources gathered for this page cover 2025 or 2026, so the championship's current status is not documented here.
05What comes next
No announced plans were found. The only forward-looking line in the sources, dated 2 May 2024, directs readers to the NCF newsletter for news about a 2025 championship4. It gives no dates, format or rules for 2025, and nothing later is covered. Until a newer official announcement appears, future plans for the National Cannabis Championship are not documented on this page.
The results, in our data
CannaLib holds 27 results from this cup across 3 years (2022 to 2024), 19 of them matched to a strain in the catalogue.
Recent first-place strains
| Year | Strain | Category | Entrant |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Layer Cake | Grand Champion | Andras Kirschner and the team from District Cannabis |
| 2024 | Candy Fumez | Virginia State Champion | Eric Zirnfeld |
| 2024 | Vice City | Maryland State Champion | Jay Wright |
| 2024 | Layer Cake | Terpene Champion | Andras Kirschner |
| 2024 | Layer Cake | Cannabinoid Champion | Andras Kirschner |
| 2023 | Divine Pine | Grand Champion | Marco (@cannabis_naturally) |
| 2023 | Monkey Berries | Terpenes Champ | Neil from Washington, D.C. |
| 2023 | Monkey Berries | Cannabinoids Champ | Neil from Washington, D.C. |
| 2023 | Divine Pine | Virginia Champ | Marco |
| 2023 | Monkey Berries | D.C. Champ | Neil |
Editions on record
- 2022 · Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium festival grounds, Washington, D.C. (National Cannabis Festival)
- 2023 · Washington DC
- 2024 · Washington, D.C. (National Cannabis Festival)
Sources
- Save the Date for the Inaugural National Cannabis Championship — National Cannabis Festival (27 October 2021)
- National Cannabis Championship: Learn About the Categories — National Cannabis Festival (10 February 2022)
- Calling All Growers: The National Cannabis Championship is Back! — National Cannabis Festival (24 October 2023)
- Meet the 2024 National Cannabis Championship Winners — National Cannabis Festival (2 May 2024)
Written from the sources above and checked on 2026-10-29. Spot an error? Tell us on the contact page.