The California Cannabis Awards (CCAs) have made history yet again with the awarding of its very first Golden Bear for home grow flower. The inaugural Home Grow Competition had its premier awards show last Saturday at the California State Fair, marking the first state-sanctioned personal use cannabis contest in the country.
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It’s the latest evolution for the CCAs, which continues to expand every year. The contest started with flower in 2022, adding finished products like edibles, concentrates, and vape pens in 2024. Now in its fifth year, the Home Grow Competition sought to commemorate the hobbyist gardeners alongside their licensed compatriots.
The inaugural home grow contest saw roughly 50 entries from across California, all of which underwent scientific analysis at SC Labs to determine bronze, silver, and gold medals. The gold medalists then moved on to a final judging by Budist critics, who used their standardized 100-point scale to assess the homegrown bud’s appearance, aroma, and other key quality attributes.
In the end, Diego Fernandez was crowned the champion, taking home the state’s very first home grow cannabis Golden Bear. The 22-year-old from Kelseyville won for his Dolato s1, a cross of Gelato and Do-Si-Dos.
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The Home Grow Competition awards show also honored cultivation expert, author, and activist Ed Rosenthal with the very first Golden Grower lifetime achievement trophy. Rosenthal has penned several books and articles over the last several decades, teaching countless people around the world how to grow before the information was widely available.
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James Leitz, founder of FairPlay Ventures and producer of the California Cannabis Awards, told GreenState that he credits Rosenthal with planting the seed that eventually led him to start the contest.
“Presenting Ed Rosenthal with the Golden Grower award was a highlight of my career,” Leitz said. “I learned to cultivate cannabis by reading The Marijuana Grower’s Guide back in the day, and I am not sure if the CCAs would exist without him.”
Leitz added that he looks forward to expanding the Home Grow Competition in 2027 and seeing even more entries from backyard gardeners across the state.
