How to Enter the American Autoflower Cup 2027: Step-by-Step Guide

If you grow autoflowers, you’ve probably watched a cannabis cup roll around and wondered whether your own flower could hang with the rest. 

The American Autoflower Cup is the most direct way to find out in the US. Breeders and home growers go in side by side, the judging’s blind, and every entry gets lab tested before a judge ever sees it, so it comes down to what’s actually in the jar. Whether you run your own crosses or use someone else’s seeds in your tent, there’s a spot for you on the 2027 table.

Breeder or grower: pick your lane first

Signing up starts with one choice. You can enter as a breeder, standing behind the genetics, or as a grower, standing behind the plant you raised yourself. Both compete for the same flower awards, so a home grower running someone else’s seeds ends up on the same table as a seed bank. Sort out which one you are before you sign up, because it decides how you get credited on the winners list.

Step by step: creating your AAC entry

You do all of this online on the official site. It's short and goes the same way every time. Head to the AAC registration page and run through it:

1. Choose your role: breeder or grower.
2. Enter your details: name, city, and state.
3. Create your login: email and password, so you can come back and add more entries.
4. Pick your entry type: Flower or Hash.
5. Name it: your brand plus the strain name, exactly how you want it printed.
6. Add another entry: use the "add one more category" option to enter another strain or type
7. Submit your entry: hit register to send it. You won't pay on the form itself; payment instructions come by email afterward, and the fee covers your lab testing

Read the competition terms before you pay, since that's where eligibility and how entries get handled are spelled out.

What the entry fee covers

The AAC fee is not just a ticket to compete. It pays for the third-party lab testing every flower goes through: a cannabinoid reading for THC and CBD. That testing is part of what gives the cup its credibility, which is why it is built into the cost of entry rather than billed separately

Entry fee: $75 per strain, billed after you submit (instructions arrive by email). Entering more than one strain? The fee applies to each. It covers the lab testing your flower goes through, including the cannabinoid readings for THC and CBD.

Deadlines and delivering your sample

Registration closes before delivery, and they're two separate dates. You register online first, then bring your samples to the competition in person. No shipping, and mailing a sample gets you disqualified.

Registration deadline: January 22, 2027.
Sample delivery: January 23, 2027, in person at a private pre-party intake event in the Los Angeles area.
Flower sample: 16 portions of roughly one gram each, 16 samples in total.
Hash sample: 10 portions of 0.5 grams each, 5 grams in total.
Delivery: by hand only, dropped off by you or someone representing you. No shipping, no mail.

For context, the cup itself runs January 27 to 30, 2027. The blind judging takes place from January 27 to 29, and the awards ceremony is at beTRUE Los Angeles on January 30

Packaging rules are strict. Every portion goes into the jars the organizers tell you to use, and every jar has to be identical. Don't stick labels on the jars or their lids, the organizers put their own on. All the jars go into one master container marked with the ID number they email you when you register each entry. Whatever you hand over is what gets judged, so pack it with the same care you gave the grow.

What you can win in 2027

You compete for a set of category awards. For 2027, they are Best Overall Auto, Best Terps, Best Smoking and Best Look for flower, Best Auto Hash for concentrates, the lab-based Highest THC, and Best Auto Breeder, which is decided by a vote.

You can see how they were spread across the field on the 2026 Cup results page.

Give your entry its best shot

Most of the work happens before you ever drop the sample off. Two things decide how your strains show at the table.

1. Grow clean. A healthy, well-flushed and properly cured flower reads clearly to a judge, so clean inputs and care in the final weeks matter as much as genetics.
2. Deliver it at its peak. Potency and aroma fade with rough handling and bad storage. Flower dried too fast or jarred too wet shows up on both the lab sheet and at the judges’ table.

So enter the strongest, cleanest, best-cured version of your strain, not your biggest harvest. The winners list rewards quality judged at the lab and a blind panel.

Entering the AAC 2027: common questions

Who can enter the American Autoflower Cup? Breeders and home growers both. You pick your role at sign-up, and either way you're competing for the same flower awards.

Is lab testing included? Yes. The entry fee covers the third-party lab testing your flower goes through, the cannabinoid readings for THC and CBD.

Can I ship my sample instead of delivering it? No. Delivery is in person only, by you or a representative. There's no shipping option, and mailing a sample gets you disqualified.

When do I need to enter by? Registration closes January 22, 2027, and samples get delivered in person on January 23, 2027. Plan to drop off yourself or send someone, because nothing can be mailed.

Ready to put your strain on the table? Register for the American Autoflower Cup 2027 and put your best autoflower in front of the judges.