The Headies: Vermont Growers Cup
A Vermont cannabis growers' competition run by Heady Vermont, from a surprisingly well-attended 2018 debut to a May 2023 gathering at a farm venue in Essex.
- 62results on record
- 2019–2025years in our data
- 7editions
- 30matched to strains
- The Barns at Lang Farmlatest location
01Beginnings
The Headies: Vermont Growers Cup is a cannabis growers' competition run by Heady Vermont, a cannabis media and events company1. Heady Vermont describes itself as a community and digital platform devoted to cannabis culture and policy reform1. The first edition took place in 2018 and drew more than 80 entrants, spread across categories such as THC and CBD flower, concentrates, topicals and edibles1. The stated aim is to showcase and celebrate the state's most talented cultivators and product makers2. Why the cup was founded in the first place is not documented in the sources used here, so we will not guess at it.
02The story so far
Organizers admitted the 2018 turnout caught them off guard. CEO Monica Donovan said as much when the 2020 edition was announced on August 13, 20191. That second edition widened the menu: hybrid flower, hemp, and CBD edibles and topicals joined the lineup, along with a special Masters flower division1. In Masters, every entrant was to receive the same seed stock, Grimace OG, from category sponsor Archive Seed Bank1. Organizers also expected more entries, since 2019 was Vermont's first full legal home-grow season1.
The cup returned in 2022, announced the previous fall; how 2021 and the earlier in-between years went is not documented in these sources2. The 2022 edition added pre-rolls and greenhouse flower to its entry categories3. Its awards party ran on Saturday, April 16, 2022, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at The Barns at Lang Farm3. Timing mattered: the state's control board had just launched licensing for small cultivators, and a legal market of roughly $225 million was forecast by 20252. The cup was held again on Saturday, May 20, 2023, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the same venue4.
03Culture and community
Organizers point to a team of advisors and judges, each a master grower in their own right1. Donovan read the strong turnout as a sign of how passionate Vermonters are about the plant1. The event is pitched as more than a contest: the 2022 edition promised to display every entry alongside onsite demos, exhibitors, food and live music2. The music leaned toward the jam-band scene, with headliner Way Much Better featuring Rob Compa and Chuck Jones of Dopapod2.
The fun carried into the evening in 2022, when an official afterparty sponsored by Vermont Cannabis Solutions was set for Zenbarn at 9 p.m.2. Donovan also noted more cannabis and product vendors and heightened interest in the competition2. The 2022 sponsor list, including Higher Elevation, Grove Bags, Bia Diagnostics Laboratories, The Cannabis Collective, Forbin's Finest and Cannatrol, shows industry backing for the event3. Heady Vermont frames its wider mission around an equitable cannabis industry shaped by social, racial, environmental and economic justice3.
04Where things stand
The most recent edition documented in our sources took place on Saturday, May 20, 2023, at The Barns at Lang Farm, 51 Upper Main St., Essex, and the Seven Days listing marks it as a past event4. Nothing in the sources describes the cup's status after that date, so whether any later editions happened is not documented. The 2023 listing points readers to headies.headyvermont.com for information, though we have not confirmed what that page shows today4.
05What's next
No upcoming or future editions were found in the sources, so any plans for the cup are not documented. The only forward-looking details are historical ones: when the 2020 edition was announced, aspiring Masters competitors had until August 15, 2019 to register and receive their seeds1. For anything newer, the cup's own information page, listed as headies.headyvermont.com in 2023, is the place to look4.
The results, in our data
CannaLib holds 62 results from this cup across 7 years (2019 to 2025), 30 of them matched to a strain in the catalogue.
Recent first-place strains
| Year | Strain | Category | Entrant |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Greasy Runtz | Flower: Indica | Trap Haus VT |
| 2022 | Sweet Island | Flower: Sativa | Kismet Farm |
| 2022 | Girl Scout Cookie | Flower: Hybrid | Mike |
| 2022 | Glazed Apricot Gelato | Flower: Greenhouse | Vermont Select |
| 2022 | Snowball | Flower: Outdoor | Juniper Gardens |
| 2022 | Spirit Of Sirius | Flower: Hemp | Few True Seeds |
| 2022 | Zweet Inzanity | Flower: Preroll | Greenmont Craft Cannabis Co. |
| 2022 | Melon Heads | Concentrate: Hash | Green Science Gardens |
| 2019 | Cbdurban | Flower – CBD | Vinnie Mulac |
| 2019 | Grease Monkey | Concentrate – Rosin | Vermont Extracts |
Editions on record
- 2019 · Vermont
- 2022 · Lang Farm 51 Upper Main Street Essex, VT 05452 United States
- 2023 · The Barns at Lang Farm
Sources
- Second annual grower’s cannabis cup hits Vermont | Vermont Business Magazine
- The Headies Cup showcases small cultivators across the state | Vermont Business Magazine
- Headies Growers Cup Showcases The State’s Best Cultivators, April 16 | Vermont Business Magazine
- The Headies: Vermont Growers Cup | The Barns at Lang Farm | Cannabis | Seven Days | Vermont's Independent Voice
Written from the sources above and checked on 2026-10-29. Spot an error? Tell us on the contact page.