California State Fair Cannabis Awards expand to include edibles

New product categories include chocolates, baked goods, beverages and more.

Photo from the California State Fair.

The California State Fair’s annual cannabis competition is expanding this year to include edibles and beverages, as well as pre-rolls, concentrates, vapes and cartridges.

Originally reserved for flower, cannabis manufacturers can submit products to 16 new categories, including Chocolates, Baked Goods, Candies, Ready-to-Drink Beverages, Beverage Enhancers & Mixers, Tablets and Capsules.

Gold and Silver Medals will be awarded by product type with an overall “Best of California” Golden Bear Trophy awarded for each category.

“This competition is yet another way California and our State Fair continues to lead the nation,” said Cal Expo CEO Tom Martinez. “We are excited to see the growth of cannabis as an agricultural commodity and allowing our guests to experience all this exhibit has to offer.”

The competition is open to all licensed cannabis growers, manufacturers and brands in California. Entrants are vying for 100-plus awards. All entrees must be received by May 17, and award winners will be announced in June.

The California State Fair Cannabis Awards and Experience will be on display at the State Fair from July 12-28 at the Cal Expo Fairgrounds in Sacramento. The California State Fair Cannabis Awards and Experience is produced by Fair Play Ventures in partnership with the California Exhibition & State Fair.

Once again, the flower terpene and cannabinoid potency testing will be performed and certified by SC Labs. To support the newly added categories, the California State Fair Cannabis Awards has also partnered with Budist, a social review platform for cannabis products and brands. Budist will provide a panel of cannabis experts to assess the quality and craftsmanship of each entry. Judges are required to follow a standardized methodology to ensure a fair, honest and professional assessment of each entry.

Alyse Thompson-Richards has held many positions with BNP Media, first serving as an intern at Candy Industry Magazine in summer 2012. She joined Candy Industry's staff full time as associate editor in August 2016 after a few years at newspapers in West-Central Illinois, becoming managing editor in March 2019. Alyse has also served on Cannabis Products Insider since March 2019. She has bachelor’s degrees in journalism and Spanish from Western Illinois University.