What You Need to Know About the Amsterdam Coffeeshop Awards 2021
The internationally acclaimed Coffee Shop Awards are going ahead full swing this year. Here’s what you can expect.
Nominations Now Open – Click here to nominate your favourite
The Amsterdam Coffee Shop Awards are new and are launching with a bang. It exists to highlight the diversity and innovation of the many coffee shops of Amsterdam. Regular readers here at Lily Likes will appreciate how much we love our coffee shops, so of course we had to have our say. Here, as the Lily Lakes Amsterdam scoop on the Amsterdam Coffee Shop Awards of 2021.
Those who are new to our pages, you will find all sorts of Amsterdam influenced deals on our website. We frequently review coffee shops ourselves and have detailed many of the greatest, right here on the site. We’re not saying it makes us experts, but we know what we are talking about when it comes to coffeeshop features. Make sure you have a good look around if you have an appreciation for the Stoner things in life.
Don’t forget that we have a sister site which gives you access to brilliant deals in the UK. Whether you want to buy a gift or go on a trip, we can help you out. Let’s jump in and talk about all things Amsterdam Coffeeshop Awards.
What Is the Amsterdam Coffeeshop Awards?
We can hear the questions through the screen. What is it? Where is it held? What do they judge on? Who are the Judges? We will answer all these questions and more. Let’s start by describing the process and why we need it.
Cannabis isn’t fully legal in Holland. The authorities sort of, got bored of fighting it in the capital. Coffeeshops sprung up and they needed regulation. All drugs are technically illegal, even in Amsterdam. As such, there was no industry-wide standard. The problem with unregulated drug use is that there’s no governing body that ensures compliance to things like health and safety, or hygiene. This is a big part of the reason why Amsterdam coffeeshops have a mistaken reputation as being dank, grimy parts of the criminal underworld.
Setting Standards in Amsterdam’s Cannabis Sector
In the past there have been many cannabis style Awards which have gone a long way towards eliminating this reputation in the last two decades. The local coffeeshop owners and consumers realised that they needed to set their own standards if nobody else was going to. The easiest way to up the standards across a body of unrelated businesses, is to start running competitions. Though whether this was good business sense or happy accident is unclear.
If you give out awards for being the best of the best in your industry, you can sit back and watch the businesses come to you. Better yet, you can see an improvement in standards sector-wide as each of the businesses compete for those coveted trophies/certificates. Before, the coffee shops competed for business without advertising. Afterwards, they competed for certificates that could draw in a crowd. There are still strict advertising laws that prevent most coffeeshops from advertising things like menus online. If you have a certificate that says your strain is the best, you don’t need that advertising. The crowds will come just to taste it.
And so, the past Awards were born out of the local’s desire for better product, and to identify the cannabis sellers, growers, and providers, of distinction. If you walk into any coffee shop in Amsterdam today and they have a Coffeeshop Awards strain, certificate, or trophy, you can see it as an international badge of quality.
The Amsterdam Coffeeshop Awards in 2021
These new awards have been adjusted this year so that they can go ahead with minimal risk. To make allowances for Covid measures, the awards ceremony will take place online this year. This means the potential for a greater audience. The competition will run in December. Where can you watch it? Check in on the site for more.
Let’s answer some of the frequently asked questions about the Amsterdam Coffeeshop Awards 2021.
Are nominations open for the Amsterdam Coffee Shop Awards?
Yes, they are. You can find out how to nominate your favourite coffee shop over on their pages. Nominations are only open from the 1st of November to the 16th of November 2021, so do hurry. After November 21st, 2021, you will be able to vote on the shortlist of the winning nominations.
There are lots of distinct categories, which we will list in a moment. You can choose to nominate your favourite budtender, which is the cannabis equivalent of a barista, or even your favourite green-energy-friendly coffeeshop. They have a People’s Choice section, too.
What categories are there in the 2021 Amsterdam Coffee Shop Awards?
There are several distinct categories that you can vote on. They include:
- Coffee shop of the year – for the overall winner.
- The greenest coffee shop, also known as the most eco-friendly coffee shop. We see what they did there with the pun on green.
- The barista of the year, which is for the coffee shops that serve good coffee.
- The budtender of the year, which is the same thing, except coffee isn’t necessary.
- The most knowledgeable coffee shop. Obviously, it’s the people who are judged and not the shop itself.
- The coffee shop that has the best mural or art gallery expo of the year.
- Then we have the coffee shop that’s the best social media influencer. This is a new category.
- We have the best cannabis industry photographer of the year. It’s very important that we recognise the people that take pictures of all those lovely buds.
- The best cannabis industry graphic designer of the year, an often overlooked facet of cannabis sales.
- Next is the best coffee shop flower menu.
- The best coffee shop hash menu.
- The best coffee shop edible menu.
- Best coffee shop extract menu.
- We have the best coffee shop beverage because food and drinks are important.
- And the best coffee shop snack for the same reason.
- We also have the best coffee shop, lounge, or atmosphere.
- An award for the best brand of rolling papers.
- And the coveted lifetime Achievement award for those who have devoted their life to the betterment of weed. Never was there more noble cause.
That’s a decent sized list of awards you can nominate coffee shops in Amsterdam for – though it’s not a full list. So, get over and start voting for your favourites. It doesn’t take very long
Confirmed participants for the industry awarded categories: The Dolphins, Boerejongens, Happy Feelings, & Blue Sea
Who is judging the 2021 Amsterdam Coffee Shop awards?
Sadly, at the time of writing, we still don’t know who this year’s judges are going to be. You can find this information out on their page as soon as they announce it. We will find out when the shortlist is declared.
How to get your business involved with the Coffee Shop awards?
Can your business become involved with the coffee Shop awards? It sure can. You can become a sponsor up until December of 2021 if you want to get some advertising out of the event. You can become a media partner if you are related to the coffeeshops of Amsterdam and you want to have your say. If you are a business in Amsterdam who others might nominate, you can enter yourself into the competition. You can do all the above and the “get involved” section of their website.
Who is sponsoring the Amsterdam Coffee Shop Awards of 2021?
Sponsorships have yet to be announced as of the time of writing, however, opportunities are available. Your logo could go on the advertising for the coffee Shop Awards 2021 or even maybe take up the presenting sponsor opportunity. Viewers could see your branding on the live stream when they do their online awards ceremony. It’s worth getting involved, especially if your business is weed related… Why do you think Lily likes are media partners? Next year we’ll be elevated to sponsorship level.
Some of the sponsors we do know about include Hemp Design Co, Coffeeshop Info Centre, Zamalia Experience, AudioKush, Cannabis Industry Designs, & Snail Papers
Other things to know about the Amsterdam Coffee Shop Awards
There are a total of 29 categories. 18 People’s Choice nominated & voted categories and 11 Industry Awarded categories (including two High Squish Cup, highest yielding rosin categories). With this year’s competition awards ceremony taking place online on December 12th 2021, there is the potential for thousands upon thousands of viewers. The coffee shops of Amsterdam draw an annual estimated 20 million tourists. Imagine the advertising potential if every single one of them tuned in to watch the award ceremony.
Other Things to See and Do in Amsterdam
If you are looking for things to do while you are physically present within the city, then will the lakes have all the answers you need? We know where to eat, where to drink, where to go to stay, and we may even have some deals up our sleeves that can help you get it for cheaper. We welcome all added support, so please do give us a follow on social media
