Meet the 2024 National Cannabis Championship Winners
Andras Kirschner of District Cannabis poses with the Cannabinoid, Terpene and NCC Grand Champion Belts
On Friday, April 19, 2024, a small group of passionate growers gathered backstage at NCF waiting to hear the results of the 2024 National Cannabis Championship. On the main stage, NCF Hostess-with-the-Mostest, Poet Taylor, was joined by NCC Maryland State Judge Sebi Medina-Tayac for the Awards presentation. After months of waiting, the results were finally in.
A few months prior, growers in DC, Maryland and Virginia were invited to submit samples of their grows to the 3rd annual National Cannabis Championship for consideration in 6 categories:
Cannabinoid Champion - based on lab testing results
Terpene Champion - based on lab testing results
DC State Champion - based on State Judge analysis
Maryland State Champion - based on State Judge analysis
Virginia State Champion - based on State Judge analysis
Grand Champion - based on Finals Judge analysis
Round 1 - Lab Testing
In the first round of the competition, samples were submitted for lab testing to determine the percentage of cannabinoids and terpenes.
Terpenes Champion
Terpenes are naturally occurring chemical compounds found in plants and some animals. They help create the aromas, flavors, and colors that we associate with various types of vegetation. In terms of cannabis, terpenes are what give certain strains a smell or taste different from others.
3rd Place: John Maynard from Virginia with the strain Carbon Fiber
2nd Place: Eric Zirnfeld from Virginia with the strain Candy Fumez
1st Place: Andras Kirschner from Maryland, representing District Cannabis with the strain Layer Cake
Cannabinoid Champion
Cannabinoids, the natural and multifaceted compounds found in the cannabis plant, have been garnering significant attention in recent years. There are over 400 different chemical entities in the cannabis plant with about 60 identified as cannabinoid compounds.
3rd Place: Marco Thomas from Virginia with the strain Silver Rock Candy
2nd Place: Brent Frazier from Maryland with the strain Ransomware
1st Place: Andras Kirschner from Maryland, representing District Cannabis with the strain Layer Cake
Round 2 - State Champions
After the lab testing rounds, samples were handed off to State Judges in Maryland, D.C. and Virginia, including winners from our 2024 Community Judge Contest.
Maryland State Champion
For the first time ever, NCF welcomed Maryland growers to the 2024 NCC competition! As you can see from the results above, Maryland growers brought the heat this year, placing in the Cannabinoid and Terpenes Championships.
3rd Place: Taequan Hall with Over-Under
2nd Place: Andras Kirschner with Layer Cake
1st Place: Jay Wright with Vice City
Virginia State Champion
The Virginia Contest nearly overwhelmed our State Judges with more than 20 strong entries to choose from. Like Maryland, Virginia growers found top ranking in the lab testing portion of the competition.
3rd Place: Joshua Courtney with Raspberry Parfait
2nd Place: Ron England aka Big Worm of Big Worm Organics with RS11
1st Place: Eric Zirnfeld with Candy Fumez
DC State Champion
The DC growers showed up in force with participation for the first time from both home and pro-growers. The results showed that talent is spread across the board in our craft and commercial grow community.
3rd Place: Jayron Johnson with Gooberry Moonshine
2nd Place: James Watts with Hawaiian Unicorn
1st Place: Mikeda Better with The Blow Job
Round 3 - Finals
Overall NCC Grand Champion
After 2 rigorous rounds of testing and one round of judge’s analysis, the top finishers from each state were delivered to our esteemed panel of Finals Judges, pitting the highest scoring contestants from each state in a blind head-to-head competition for the top honors. When the final scores were tallied (taking into account both the lab testing rounds and judge’s analysis scores), the winner was clear.
2024 National Cannabis Championship Grand Champion: Congratulations to Andras Kirschner and the team from District Cannabis with the strain Layer Cake!
After sweeping the lab testing categories and taking second in the Maryland State Round, Layer Cake wow-ed the finals judges, tipping the scales and handing the overall NCC victory to the team from District Cannabis!
congratulations!
Congratulations to all of our finalists and winners, and a special thank you to Levo, King Palm, Cap City Organics, Bouqe Papers, MJ Arsenal, Genius Pipe, Puffco and Stache for providing our Judge’s box swag and prizes for our winners.
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