That first year, only four growers submitted entries and only one winner was declared, the venerable Skunk #1 which was to become the basis for many of today's modern hybrids. By the eighth year, there were "1,500 judges, 21 coffeeshops, two entries from US growers, one entry from Canada, one entry from Switzerland, and five seed companies," as Cup founder and High Times editor Steven Hager has recalled in an article about the Cup's development.
Over the years, the Cup has had a chequered history, sometimes curtailed by the actions of law enforcement, and at other times riven by rivalries and dissent among the organisers. But somehow, it's always pulled through until it became the internationally recognised brand we know today.
