The Prairie State is known for so much more than just vast stretches of grassland. Now four years after we launched the first Illinois: People’s Choice Edition, we’ve seen a wide variety of cannabis products and brands take home a coveted High Times trophy. But this year in particular, Illinois cannabis brands have given it everything they’ve got.
We announced the launch of this year’s Illinois: People’s Choice Edition 2023 earlier this summer, and gathered up some of the state’s finest products spanning 15 different categories, both adult-use and medical. But we previously held the hugely successful Illinois: People’s Choice Edition in 2020, 2021, and 2022. Here’s a glimpse of the trending strains and other products that won over our resident judges back then.
Even though the world was still waist-deep in the pandemic at the time, Illinois cannabis brands came through with shining colors. At the Illinois: People’s Choice Edition 2020, the fourth People’s Choice Edition competition to launch following the 2020 Hemp Cup, Oklahoma, and Colorado, with only seven categories. Back then, Revolution Cannabis brought home trophies with Florida Orange, Gorilla’d Cheese, and Turbo Lemon Cake, while we also saw wins from Bedford Grow with Grape Sugar Cookies, Velvet Glove with Columbia Care, Jenny Kush with Aeriz, Private Stock Mag Landrace with Verano, and Red Line Haze with Cresco, in addition to many other worthwhile wins from other product categories.
In 2021 the category list increased up to eight, and Revolution Cannabis took home numerous trophies for strains such as Blueberry Clementine, Mac & Cheese (Spicy Papaya Cut), Banana Runtz, along with Seed & Strain’s Velvet Glove, Aeriz’s Ice Cream Cake and Jenny Kush, Cresco’s Lemon Bean, and Triple 7’s Tropical Runtz and Rainbow Runtz.
That same year, NuEra, Seed & Strain, and Aeriz won in the pre-rolls category. In concentrates, Revolution Cannabis’s Blueberry Clementine Live Resin, Bedford Grow’s Highwayman Live Resin, and Aeriz’s Bundy OG Budder took home a win. Not to mention in edibles, Illinoisans rated edibles from Bedford Grow, Sweet Releaf, Revolution Cannabis, and Bhang, too.
In 2022 our category list increased again, this time to eleven. Brands such as RYTHM entered the game strong with Brownie Scout (and Orange Herijuana in the medical flower category), Fig Farms brought its famous Figment strain, along with UPNORTH’s Durban Poison, Floracal’s Vanilla Cake, and Verano Reserve’s Guru 0 for medical flower. But the previous year’s winning brands also came in with Bedford Grow’s I-95 and Revolution Cannabis’s Peach Crescendo, Miami Punch, and Gorilla’d Cheese (as well as Buttermilk Biscuits in the medical flower category). Revolution Cannabis, RYTHM, and Floracal were also chosen as the winning concentrates and extracts as well.
This time capsule of winners from the past three years shows the evolution of popular brands in Illinois, as you’ll see below. Exceptional cannabis is still being cultivated by Revolution Cannabis, RHYTHM, Aeriz, Verano, Fig Farms, and so much more, but you’ll also find a handful of new brands that joined the competition this year. So without further ado, here is the official list of Illinois: People’s Choice Edition 2023 winners.
In the meantime, the High Times Cannabis Cup: People’s Choice Edition continues to gain speed, so keep an eye out for winners in other regions such as Oregon in December, Massachusetts in January 2024, followed by Arizona in February 2024.
First Place: nuEra – Cobra Milk
Courtesy nuEra
Second Place: RYTHM – Animal Face
Courtesy RYTHM
Third Place: Revolution – Purple Monarch
Courtesy Revolution
First place: RYTHM – Jack Herer
Courtesy RYTHM
Second Place: Revolution – Raspberry Shortcake
Courtesy Revolution
Third Place: Seed & Strain – White Grapefruit Cookies
Courtesy Seed & Strain
First Place: RYTHM – Slapz
Courtesy RYTHM
Second Place: Revolution – Crockett’s Dawg
Courtesy Revolution
Third Place: Verano Reserve – Yum Yum Reserve Flower
Courtesy Verano
First Place: Revolution – Blueberry Clementine
Courtesy Revolution
Second Place: Paul Bunyan – Macnanna
Courtesy Paul Bunyan
Third Place: Dogwalkers – Mini Dogs – Animal Face
Courtesy Dogwalkers
First Place: Moon Walkers – Coffee Creamer Solventless Live Rosin Moon Walkers
Courtesy Moon Walkers
Second Place: Revolution – Future Kush Rocket
Courtesy Revolution
Third Place: Bedford Grow – Diamond-Infused Pre-Roll – Hot Mint Sundae
Courtesy Bedford Grow
First Place: aeriz – Florida Oranges
Courtesy aeriz
Second Place: Superflux – Live Resin Strawberry Bubbles Budder
Courtesy Superflux
Third Place: RYTHM – Live Resin – Super Silver Cookies
Courtesy RYTHM
First Place: Fig Farms – Blue Face
Courtesy Fig Farms
Second Place: RYTHM – Rosin – Sunset Sherbet
Courtesy RYTHM
Third Place: Revolution – Moon Boots
Courtesy Revolution
First Place: Revolution – Florida Orange Live Rosin
Courtesy Revolution
Second Place: Superflux – Strawberry Bubbles Live Resin
Courtesy Superflux
Third Place: On the Rocks – Fresh Powder Live Rosin Cartridge
Courtesy On the Rocks
First Place: Goody Bag – Pink Lemonade
Courtesy Goody Bag
Second Place: nuEra – Pink Lemonade Live Resin Gummy
Courtesy nuEra
Third Place: Hedy – Sour Cherry Lime Gummies
Courtesy Hedy
First Place: Incredibles – Peanut Budda Buddha Bar
Second Place: KIVA – Churro Bar
Courtesy KIVA
Third Place: Mindy’s – Caramelized Chocolate Marshmallow Graham
Courtesy Mindy’s
First Place: Señorita – Mango
Courtesy Señorita
Second Place: CQ – Cola
Courtesy CQ
Third Place: Artet – Mango Ginger Spritz
Courtesy Artet
First Place: Doctor Solomon’s – Restore Transdermal Lotion
Courtesy Doctor Solomon’s
Second Place: Avexia – Pain Relief Balm 1:1 CBD:THC
Courtesy Alexia
Third Place: Remedi – Rest 1:5 Capsules
Courtesy Remedi
First Place: Revolution – Blueberry Clementine
Courtesy Revolution
Second Place: RYTHM – Black Afghan
Courtesy RYTHM
Third Place: Verano Essence – Strawberry Guava Essence
Courtesy Verano
First Place: Revolution – Blueberry Clementine Live Rosin Cart
Courtesy Revolution
Second Place: Beboe – Inspired Vape Pen
Courtesy Beboe
Third Place: Verano Reserve – Coconut Cream Pie Reserve Live Resin Cart
Courtesy Verano
First Place: Nature’s Grace and Wellness – French Toast White Chocolate Crunch Bar 1:1:1 THC:CBD:CBG
Courtesy Nature’s Grace and Wellness
Second Place: Bedford Grow – Sea Salt Caramels
Courtesy Bedford Grow
Third Place: On the Rocks – Sour Apricot Apple – Cherry Punch Live Rosin Gummies
Courtesy On the Rocks
A special thank you to our partners and sponsors!
Official Intake Partners:
Rise Dispensary
nuEra
Zen Leaf
Beyond Hello
Lux Leaf
Star Buds
Bronze Sponsor: Kaviar
General Sponsor: Legacy
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