ICA presents a unique opportunity for enthusiasts, experts, and connoisseurs to be a part of our distinguished panel of judges
Copyright © 2024 International Cannabis Awards
Luna Stower
Luna Stower is Chief Impact Officer at Ispire Vape Technology in Los Angeles (previously VP of Business Development). An experienced executive and thought-leader in the cannabis industry, she’s known for designing & manufacturing high-quality cannabis vaporization hardware for oil brands.
With over a decade of experience in the “Cannabiz,” Luna was named as one of the “Top 100 women in Cannabis” by Green Entrepreneur for her vital role building some of California’s most successful cannabis brands (Jetty Extracts, Click Spray), helping establish them as category leaders. Starting as employee #1 at both Jetty Extracts and Ispire, she played a key role in those companies’ growth and success.
Nicolas Joseph Tanem
Nicholas Joseph Tanem aka Nikka T is a cannabis visionary, educator, public speaker, DJ, judge, processor and activist.
From extraction, to cultivation, and dispensaries, Nikka T has owned and operated multiple fully licensed and compliant businesses under the legal systems in Colorado since day one of medical legalization. Including Essential Extracts, the very first tax paying hash company in the US. Nikka T is the proud winner of 15+ Cannabis Cups with his Essential team and another 100+ won by clients using his Essential Bag Design and “Solventless” techniques. Between his passion for cannabis and music, timed perfectly with the onset of legalization in the US, Nikka T continues to expand his brand, techniques & music all over the globe nationally and internationally.
Kimo Solomon Keawe
Kimo is a Northern Californian, born and raised Hawaiian American. Third generation cannabis cultivator, second generation hashmaker. At 27yo in 2007, Kimo was one of the youngest permitted medical dispensary owners under proposition 215 in California (The Divinity Tree Patients Wellness Co-operative, San Francisco).
He was facing a 30 year federal prison sentence in 2011 after being served a 30 day cease and desist from a US district Attorney. Kimo grew up in and around Bay Area Rock ‘n’ Roll (the Grateful Dead and Journey), and still has a strong presence in Reggae and Hip-Hop Music (Wash House Music). Kimo continues his Cannabis Legacy in breeding for Solventless Hash production with Little Lake Valley Seed Co (T Beezle) in Mendocino county.
As well as being an artist, inventor, clothing designer, and amateur chef. Kimo has had a 30 year plus career in Cannabis, and has no plans of stopping anytime soon. Love Over Everything!
Elise McRoberts
Elise McRoberts has been judging and working with cannabis for over a decade. Listed on Marijuana Venture’s 40 Under 40 List of 2023, the former the CMO of Doc Green’s (an award winning CA Solventless brand), and founder of Hashinista (consultancy firm + lifestyle brand), Elise has been instrumental in the launch, growth and success of many top tier California brands.
After judging her first Cannabis Cup for High Times Magazine in Amsterdam 2012, Elise has judged various competitions around the world from NorCal’s famed The Emerald Cup to The Organic Cup in Barcelona, evaluating categories from edibles to concentrates, and many more.
A passionate advocate for the preservation of cannabis culture, Elise uses Hashinista as a platform to normalize and destigmatize cannabis through aesthetics, education and femininity, while celebrating legacy, craft and connoisseur quality. She lives in Marin County, CA.
Nikki & Swami
Nikki and Swami are co-founders of Swami Select brand cannabis located in the heart of the Emerald Triangle in California. They have both been in the business of selling and growing since 1969. After many years living in San Francisco, India and beyond, they moved to Mendocino County in 2003. “Our ranch is both a sanctuary and a cannabis farm,” they explain. “We have temples and statues to all traditions and employ sacred mantras and holy waters on our plants.” Their special flowers are grown using regenerative techniques. Nikki and Swami have been judges in The Emerald Cup since it began in 2004 and are both on the founding council of the Ganjier program. Their passion is to share knowledge about this precious plant and her many benefits.
Kyle Kushman
Kyle Kushman is an internationally renowned marijuana cultivator whose collaborations
have earned 13 Medical Cannabis Cups awards, including three US Cannabis Cups
for Best Flowers. All awards were earned by utilizing Kushman’s Vegamatrix, winner of the coveted STASH Award from High Times Magazine in 2014 as Best New Nutrient.
Currently, Kushman is filming weekly and streams content both produced and live on HomeGrownCannabisCo.com where education about cannabis from around the world is taught and discussed in Kyle’s unique way.
Kushman educated on the Netflix Series, Explained, “Weed”, which aired July 2018. Vegamatrix is seen in the Netflix series Disjointed and was used in the Vice Series Bong Appetite along with Kushman’s Flowers. He created courses for both Green Flower Media and Oaksterdam University.
In 2019 Kushman was awarded the 420 Icon Award by Cannabis Business Awards and in 2018 Cultivator of the Year Award by Green State and San Francisco Chronicle. He’s cultivated and consulted in both small and commercial scale facilities throughout his career. He’s best known for cultivating premium cannabis that is clean and healthy. Recognized for several cannabis strains including the world- famous Strawberry Cough, Cherry Lopez, Starberry, Star Dawg and Alexander and specialized breeding continues in several collaborations throughout the world.
Kyle Kushman is a 30-year veteran of Organic Cannabis Cultivation. After working the
Q&A section of the High Times website for several years, Kyle was hired as a staff journalist and cultivation expert for High Times magazine. In 2004 Kyle left New York and his job at High Times to go back to cultivating and experimenting with organic growing.
California provided a legal atmosphere to grow where Kyle started Karma Consulting in 2006; a consulting service for Proposition 215 medicinal cannabis gardens.
Kushman’s articles have been featured in High Times Magazine for over 34 years. In 2009 he began teaching advanced horticulture classes at Oaksterdam University in Oakland, California. Later that year, Kyle began cultivating with his own methodology of Veganics. He taught Earth- Friendly Cannaculture classes using organics and Veganics at the OU Oakland Campus, the North Bay learning center at Peace In Medicine in Sebastopol, and in Ann Arbor Michigan to a class of over 300 students.
Kushman Veganics is featured in the Jan. 2011 issue of High Times with a full 12 pages; coincidentally it was High Times’ 420th issue! Since then, there have been numerous articles published nationally about Kyle and his innovative techniques including the LA Times, Chicago Tribune, Rolling Stone, Forbes, San Francisco Chronicle, Playboy, MG Magazine and the New York Times to name a few.
Kyle has studied and used almost every nutrient, gadget and piece of equipment on the market today. This experience, his reputation as an internationally renowned cultivator and Cannabis Cup winner provides continuous opportunities to contribute as a freelancer to national and international publications. His genetics are currently available in clone form and in seed form and he continues to innovate on a regular basis.
Kyle has dedicated his life to understanding cannabis cultivation and to help normalize its use. Kyle has partnered with both Oaksterdam University and Green Flower Media for to bring Kyle’s Veganic Horticulture to the world through online education.
Kyle hosted the “The Grow Show” on CannabisRadio.Com, which featured growing tips of the week, interviews with industry experts and discussed the changing climate of cannabis culture.
The innovator of compassion and compromise, Kyle’s free information and resources
have helped countless numbers of marijuana growers, and the benefits have extended
to millions of patients around the globe. Society has leaped into a generation of sharing information at the speed of light. With a few clicks on an electronic device, we can transcend our thoughts and ideals to thousands upon thousands of people. You may find Kyle teaching all phases of organic cultivation across the world!
Victor FTS
One of the creators of French Touch Seeds, a collective of french breeders since 2010. Passionate of rare landraces and complex terpens, Victor aka Viking is also a hiphop reggae singer, well known in the european underground scene for the quality of his flowers. This french accurate palate is waiting for your flowers and concentrates !
Albert Tió Rodríguez
He is still serving a 5-year sentence, now in the third degree, for being part of the board of one of the first cannabis associations in Barcelona. Together with Víctor Segués they wrote “Luz Verde A La Libertad” in prison, with a prologue by Steve DeAngelo, narrating their story. The Green Light party continues to fight for legalization and this year they have opened a socio-cultural association that is also its headquarters in Barcelona: Món Real, where they offer talks, workshops, art exhibitions, natural therapies and cultural events.
Gabriela Sierra Fontecilla
Barcelona lawyer specialized in cannabis and CBD. She is currently the President of the green light cannabis party that has obtained two councilors in a small Spanish town and intends to implement a factory for the transformation of CBD and cannabis derivatives.
Fermin Les Lacosta
Entrepreneur with grows and seed companies such as Positronics Seeds or audiovisual companies such as PH&EC. Director of several documentaries on cannabis cultivation (Cannabisindoor and cannabisoutdoor). He has developed 3 laws in Spain on cannabis cultivation and social clubs
Severiano Aznarez Landilivar
The best and most awarded breeder in Spain. He worked at Positronics seeds, Barneys farm and MMG seeds. Winner of the cups on several occasions in spannabis in THC and CBD and other cups like alacannabis cup, djamba cup, malaga cup.
Mila Jansen
Mila Jansen, the Hash Queen, was born in Liverpool on 5. Dec.1944. She lived in Amsterdam from the mid sixties and decided to travel overland to India with her young daughter in ’68. She did not return till ’88, started to grow cannabis to support herself and her, by now, four children. As she had seen hash being made in Afghanistan, Pakistan and India it didn’t take her long to start making her own hash to smoke, a time consuming job by hand. in ’94 she invented the first mechanical dry sift system that separated the trichomes from all the plant matter, the Pollinator. That’s why people call her the Hash Queen. Later came the Ice-O-Lator bags and the Bubbleator, that both use water and ice in the process. These machines gave people the opportunity to make their own hash. And they did, and they do, a hell of a lot!!