Event Recap: 2026 California Cannabis Awards
Opening weekend of the California State Fair brought the California cannabis community to Sacramento for several days of education, celebration, and the 2026 California Cannabis Awards.
Now in its fifth year, the California Cannabis Experience has become one of the industry's most anticipated annual gatherings. It brings together cultivators, manufacturers, retailers, journalists, educators, regulators, judges, and consumers to celebrate California cannabis as both an agricultural product and cultural tradition.
Friday welcomed partners and brands from across the state as they arrived in Sacramento for a weekend of events, including the Cannabis Chamber reception, where more than 150 members of the community gathered to reconnect ahead of opening weekend.
By Saturday, the fairgrounds had transformed into a celebration of California cannabis. Attendees explored the 50,000 sq ft California Cannabis Experience, learned from the Budist judges panel, took photos at the Faces of Cannabis photo booth with Fat Nugs Magazine, walked the Green Carpet, celebrated the Golden Bear winners at the California Cannabis Awards, enjoyed a performance from Mendo Dope Boys, and wrapped up the evening at the official after-party, including many of the winning brands like Moon Valley Cannabis.
It was a weekend meant to celebrate the farmers, manufacturers, and innovators raising the bar for quality while giving consumers an opportunity to better understand and appreciate the craftsmanship behind the products they enjoy.
Celebrating California Cannabis at the State Fair
The California Cannabis Experience continues to play an important role in how cannabis is presented to the public. As part of the California State Fair—one of the nation's oldest and most celebrated agricultural fairs—cannabis is recognized alongside California's other iconic agricultural products, including wine, olive oil, cheese, and craft beer. That context reinforces what so many in the industry have long believed: cannabis deserves to be celebrated as one of California's great agricultural crops, shaped by terroir, craftsmanship, and the people who cultivate it.
Throughout the 17-day fair, hundreds of thousands of visitors have the opportunity to explore educational exhibits, attend live programming, and learn about cultivation, manufacturing, responsible consumption, and the role cannabis plays in California agriculture. For many fairgoers, it's their first meaningful interaction with the legal cannabis industry.
The experience is made even more unique through retail partner Embarc, where visitors can purchase licensed cannabis products on-site and enjoy them within the designated consumption area. Few events in the country bring together education, retail, and responsible consumption in one experience, making the California Cannabis Experience an important platform for both consumer education and industry visibility.
Behind the Judging Process
The credibility of any competition begins with the people entrusted to evaluate it and the process used to ensure every entry is judged fairly and consistently.
For the third consecutive year, Budist served as the Official Judging Partner for the California Cannabis Awards, assembling a panel of 34 judges representing a broad cross-section of California cannabis culture. Certified Ganjiers, scientists, journalists, educators, legacy cultivators, competition veterans, and retail professionals each brought their expertise to the three-week judging process.
Using Budist's standardized 100-point evaluation methodology, judges independently assessed the quality, craftsmanship, and overall performance of entries within their assigned categories. The framework provides consistency across the competition while allowing judges to evaluate the unique characteristics that define excellence within each product type.
The Flower competition follows a unique evaluation model. Gold, Silver, and Bronze medals are first determined through SC Labs' analytical testing, recognizing standout chemotypes based on terpene and cannabinoid abundance. Budist's flower judges then conduct a human sensory evaluation of those medal-winning entries to determine the Golden Bear winners for the Indoor, Mixed-Light, and Outdoor categories. Across all remaining categories, Budist's standardized methodology determines the Gold, Silver, Bronze, and Golden Bear winners.
Consistency extends beyond the scoring methodology. Flower judges evaluated entries using the PAX FOUR dry herb vaporizer and RAW rolling papers, while concentrate judges used the Dr. Dabber SWITCH². Standardizing the devices and accessories used throughout the competition helps reduce unnecessary variables, allowing judges to focus on the intrinsic qualities and expression of each product.
A Panel Built on Experience
One of Saturday's educational highlights was a behind-the-scenes look at how the California Cannabis Awards are judged.
Moderated by Budist co-founder Claudio Miranda, the conversation featured one representative from each major competition category, including Caleb Chen (Flower), Dale Sky Jones (Concentrates), Jamie Evans (Beverages), Sara Payan (Pre-Rolls), and Scott Reiman (Edibles & Wellness).
Rather than focusing on this year's winners, the discussion gave attendees an inside look at what distinguishes an award-winning product. Each panelist shared how quality is evaluated within their category, the unique considerations for different product types, and why a standardized judging process is essential to building trust in cannabis competitions.
One of the highlights of awards weekend was seeing so many judges reunited. Twenty-six of the 34 judges traveled from across California to attend the ceremony, celebrate the winners, reconnect with one another, and recognize the producers whose work stood out throughout this year's competition.
Meet the 2026 Judging Panel.
Celebrating the 2026 Golden Bear Winners
While Gold, Silver, and Bronze medals recognize outstanding achievement, the Golden Bear represents the highest honor awarded in each major category.
Selected through live panel deliberation, the Golden Bear recognizes the Best-in-Class product in each major category—an entry that not only demonstrates exceptional quality, but also best represents craftsmanship and execution within its category.
Congratulations to this year's Golden Bear winners:
- Indoor Flower: Wood Wide — Woodzy
- Mixed-Light Flower: Ridgeline Farms — Blueberry Caviar
- Outdoor Flower: Greenshock Farms — Pink Rider
- Concentrates: Moon Valley Cannabis — Neon Panther Ice Water Hash
- Cartridges: Moon Valley Cannabis — Neon Panther Live Rosin All-in-One
- Pre-Rolls: One of a Kind x Joy Ridge Farms — Dutch Treat
- Edibles: Emerald Sky — Blue Dream Live Rosin GrooveBar
- Beverages: St. Ides — Lychee Pear High Tea
- Wellness: Emerald Bay Extracts — Super Lemon Haze RSO Tablets
Read the complete list of 2026 California Cannabis Awards Winners.
Continue Exploring the Winners
The celebration doesn't end with the awards ceremony.
Over the coming weeks, Budist critics will continue publishing reviews of many of this year's award-winning products, giving consumers a closer look at what makes these entries stand out. Explore the Budist app and website to discover the winners, read trusted reviews, and learn more about the producers behind California's highest-rated products.
5 Years of Celebration
Thank you to everyone who helped make another incredible California Cannabis Awards possible, including the partners at Embarc, FairPlay Ventures, SC Labs, Redwood Roots Distribution, Nabis, GreenState, and Fat Nugs.
Most importantly, thank you to the judges, producers, manufacturers, retailers, California State Fair staff, volunteers, and everyone who continues to make this one of the cannabis industry's most meaningful annual celebrations.
The California Cannabis Experience at the State Fair continues through August 2, and this Saturday is the Homegrown Competition (July 25), where entrants will showcase the best flower from their personal grow.
Visit the California Cannabis Awards website for more information.