Judging
The Winter Classic 2026
The Ultimate Cultivators' Showdown · Presented by NYC420CCC and C4 Events · New York City
64 Growers. 8 Categories. 20 Judges. 4 Champions.
Roll Wit Rory judges Fruit vs Candy
Selected judge · one of 20 on the panel
Blind-judged cultivator competition. 64 growers maximum, 8 categories, 8 entries per category, grouped into 4 head-to-head brackets. Every entry is judged blind against a standardized scoring rubric by a panel of 20 industry judges, so reputation, popularity and branding play no part in the score. The top 2 entries in each category advance — 4 per bracket, 16 growers in total — to knockout rounds, where champions are decided head to head. A separate People's Choice Pre-Roll category, run with WeedBuds, is ranked by the first 100 paid attendees rather than the judging panel.
The format
- Field
- 64 growers max
- Categories
- 8
- Judging panel
- 20
- Advancing
- Top 2 per category · 16 growers reach the knockout rounds
- Entries due
- Oct 8, 2026
- Final event
- Live awards ceremony in New York City, late 2026
The eight categories
CandyFruitSourHazeOld School Gas (pre-GG4)New School Gas (post-GG4)Rookie Strain (first released 2025/2026)Bred-It-Yourself
The judges announced so far
Judges announced publicly by the organisers so far; the full panel is 20. Descriptions are summarised rather than copied from the organisers' own announcement captions, which are their writing, not Rory's.
Fruit vs Candy Rory’s bracket
Rory
Independent New Jersey reviewer. Scores every flower on the 3-Pillar Master Review Index — nose, taste and high, written up in full.
Michigan Matt
Runs some of Michigan's best-known consumption events and has been in the garden for eighteen years. Judges on authenticity.
Haze vs Sour
Kevin
Founded La Marina Boyz in the '90s, the go-to spot for real Uptown Haze, and now works on the legal market. A bridge between the legacy and licensed eras of NYC cannabis.
@chefro420Chefro420
Head dishwasher at People Under The Stairs Genetics. Growing since the '90s; in it for the gas and the funk.
@piffington_farmsMiYagi
Washington Heights, twenty-plus years across cultivation, automation and full buildouts — underground apartments through warehouses to the legal market. Keeper of real Sour Diesel, Haze, GG and Gary P.
Old School Gas vs New School Gas
Rick DeLisi
Co-founder of Delisioso. Decades across genetics, cultivation, curing, flower and terpenes; reads quality by nose, appearance, burn and smoke.
@sylv_esterstillstonedSylvester
Brooklyn native, widely rated one of NYC's premier reviewers, with a trusted palate.
@dankphotosnycDank Photos NYC
The photographer behind the NYC420CCC visuals, and one of the most respected cannabis photographers in the city. Judging on an eye trained by shooting growers' work.
Rookie Strain vs Bred-It-Yourself
Jon Frank
Legacy cannabis educator who carried traditional cannabis culture into New Jersey's legal market. Hands-on with cultivation, hash making, washing and processing, and known for making complex material teachable.
@bdot.the.budmanBdot the Budman
Newer to the NYC scene and already prolific — multiple video reviews a week, buying the hype strains himself to say plainly whether they are worth the ticket.
@jas_ssimoneJasmine
Cannabis influencer working where cannabis culture and fashion meet, and founder of a female and minority-owned brand. Active across both the New York and New Jersey scenes.
When
Late 2026 — the organisers have said late November or early December. The exact date has not been announced yet; this page will say so as soon as it is.