Judging Panel

Judges are selected from diverse areas of the industry to ensure a balanced representation for scoring nominees. To reflect both the community and corporate sides of the industry we choose judges from each background.

As some of the awards are by public vote, and some are selected by Cannabis Industry Awards, judging takes place on a third-party platform for full accountability and fair judging.

Industry Leaders

We're delighted to have some of the industries most respected and well-known names on our judging panel - a testament to the excellent community and positive industry vibe. It's difficult to reflect the sheer depth and breadth of the industry, but as the industry expands we will expand the award categories and judges.

The 2020 Judging Panel

Damon Adams

Ex-cop & Navy veteran

Dolph Cooke

Australian Cannabis University

Jenny Hallam

Activist

Lucy Haslam

United In Compassion

Medical Cannabis Research Australia

Miss Mary Jane

Social Media Personality

Sharlene Mavor

Medical Cannabis Research Australia

Adam Miller

Budding Tech

Ben & Michael Oakley

Roll on Ben Oakley

Tegan Scates

High on Hemp

Justin Sinclair

Australian Medicinal Cannabis Research

Dr Teresa Towpik

Medihuana

James Vosper

Industrial Hemp Association

Brooke Vogler

Weeded Warriors

Impartial.
Independent.
Industry Leaders.

Judges cannot vote for themselves or any businesses, products, or services they are associated with. Our independent judges receive no form of payment for their participation. Judges vote from a shortlist and their decisions are final.

OUR JUDGES RECEIVE NO COMPENSATION WHATSOEVER FOR THEIR PARTICIPATION

Judging Guidelines

Together we aim to cultivate a fair, reputable, and trustworthy industry body which we can all be proud of. Being a judge is both a privilege and a responsibility to represent our wonderfully complex industry.

Cannabis Industry Awards reserves the right to update these guidelines, and the judges themselves have input into what is included.

Our judging panel agrees to uphold the following guidelines in relation to the Judging Process and The Awards in general.

Judges must act in a fair, truthful, and objective manner to uphold the integrity of The Awards.
Judges must recuse themselves from voting in any category where they have a vested interest or association.
Judges will rate nominations in accordance with the Judging Process.
Judges ratings are confidential, however, all judges can see who has rated each nomination (for transparency).
Judges cannot transfer their role to someone else if they are unable to participate.
Judges must not accept any form of kickback, payment, or gifts in relation to any nomination.
Judges must report any advances or attempts to influence judging, to The Awards.
Judges must not attempt to collude with or influence other judges.
Judges' names will be listed publicly on our website with a photo of each.
Judges can be removed at the discretion of Cannabis Industry Awards.
Judges vote on a shortlist of finalists for each relevant category.
Judges are bound by the Confidentiality Agreement during the judging process.
Judges must not disclose any details about the judging process that are not publicly available.
Judges are obliged to advise The Awards if they are suspicious about false or misleading information submitted.

How The Judges Are Selected

When selecting judges for The Awards, we follow a set of guidelines which help us decide who to invite. One of our main goals is to have a wide range of judges on the panel in an effort to truly represent the breadth of the industry.

We aim to have at least half a dozen judges from as many varied segments as we can, incorporating people from all areas such as medical, industrial, therapeutic, recreational, activist, community, etc.

The following criteria should only be used only as a guide. The criteria below are by no means pre-requisites, but rather, best represents our efforts to select the most appropriate judges for The Awards who will uphold its integrity. Cannabis itself has suffered from bad reputation and misrepresentation for long enough, and our hope is to avoid this with The Awards.

Judges should;

Demonstrate a good understanding of the Australian cannabis industry and/or community.
Be respected and trusted within their area of expertise and/or community.
Be relatively free from controversial or divisive ideas/actions.
Represent key and diverse parts of the cannabis industry.
Embody the spirit of the awards as a fair, reputable, and trustworthy partner.

We acknowledge that some animosity has existed between various parties within the industry - such as between the corporate and activist parts. However, we want to lean towards being an inclusive and forgiving force for good - furthering the cause for everyone, and celebrating our wonderfully complex industry to the rest of Australia, and indeed to the world.