Awards Committee

The Awards Committee decides the winners except for the people’s choice awards.

The Awards Committee receives a final list of award categories and nominees from the Nomination Committee.
Awards Committee members review the nominees and categories and finalize the list of awardees.

Members of the Awards Committee are ineligible to win an award.

Benefits of Committee Participation

VIP Tickets. Your tickets and name badge will be available at the VIP guest check-in inside the theater lobby.
Committee members can participate from anywhere with an internet connection and are not required to attend the awards show.
Committee member names are printed in the Hawaii Cannabis Awards Show Guide and given to all ticket holders at the door.
Committee members each receive a free event poster.

Committee members play critical roles in identifying and choosing award winners based on a set of rigorous criteria and standards.

As a knowledge leader in the Hawaiʻi cannabis community, you can help ensure a high standard is achieved in the selection process. Your help will create a solid foundation to illuminate and honor outstanding achievements within Hawaii’s cannabis community. This is a big moment in Hawaii cannabis history.

Commitment

Your time and insights are an incredibly valuable to this great responsibility. Your participation will be impactful. There will be two mandatory online meetings and ongoing communications as needed by your committee chair.

Roles and Responsibilities

Chair (1): Runs meetings, helps ensure confidentiality and verifies selections. Provides any tie breaking votes.
Administrator (1): Keeps notes on meetings, collects contact information on all awardees.
Members (odd number): Collaborate with fellow committee members to ensure a diverse and inclusive range of categories and awardees are selected.
- Draft and recommend the final awardees for each category.
- Collaborate with the Nomination Committee to verify the chosen nominees.
- Help ensure transparency, fairness, and integrity throughout the nomination process.
- Contribute to the continuous improvement of the nomination process and provide feedback for improving the process.

Public Participation

The public is invited to submit categories and nominees via online form. The Nomination Committee will review and consider these nominations. Only the Nomination Committee members will provide the final list for consideration by the Awards Committee.

Important Dates

Last day to join committee	Friday April 26th
Introductory committee meeting 2nd week of May	TBD by committee
Final committee meeting no later than 3rd week of May	TBD by committee
Last day to certify final awardees	Friday May 14th
Event Day	Friday June 14th

Criteria and Standards

In the spirit of honoring Hawaii’s rich cannabis legacy and fostering a unified vision for a brighter, sustainable future, our awards criteria and standards are designed to recognize outstanding achievements in all areas of cannabis. This section outlines the guiding principles and evaluative measures that underpin the integrity and significance of our awards process, ensuring a transparent, fair, and culturally respectful celebration of excellence.

Our goals to honor Hawaii’s rich Cannabis legacy and create a unified vision for a brighter future are embodied herein.

Comprehensive Evaluation Criteria
Impact and Influence: Nominees and awardees may be evaluated on their significant contributions to cannabis gauging both the scope and depth of their influence. This includes their ability to inspire innovation, drive positive change, and contribute to cannabis in Hawaii and beyond.
Innovation and Creativity: Individuals and entities can be recognized that introduce groundbreaking ideas, legislation, technologies, and solutions, paving new paths for cannabis while respecting its traditions and cultural heritage.
Healthcare and Patient Advocacy: Nominees will have expressed understanding, compassion and empathy towards patients. Caregiving, donations, selective breeding, clinical studies and medical administration are all areas we consider valuable in Hawaii.
Leadership and Visionary Thinking: Nominees and awardees may exemplify exceptional leadership qualities, demonstrating a clear and impactful vision for the future of cannabis. Their work should inspire others to strive for excellence and innovation.
Community and Cultural Engagement: Our awards celebrate those who actively engage with and contribute to their communities and the broader cannabis culture. This includes efforts to educate, advocate, and build a more inclusive industry and or environment for cannabis.
Sustainability and Environmental Responsibility: Recognizing the critical importance of environmental stewardship, nominees and awardees should demonstrate commitment to sustainable practices and solutions that benefit the environment.
Education, Advocacy, and Social Responsibility: We honor the work of those dedicated to educating the public on cannabis, advocating for meaningful policy reform, and addressing social justice issues within the cannabis space. However, a public persona or advocacy is not a requirement to be recognized, nominated or win an award.

Special Considerations
Cultural Sensitivity and Historical Acknowledgment: Criteria include a special focus on preserving and promoting Hawaiʻi’s cannabis cultural heritage. This encompasses respect for traditional practices of land management (ahupuaʻa), contributions to the preservation of indigenous strains, and efforts that honor the cultural significance of cannabis in Hawaiian history.
Objective Metrics for Evaluation: To ensure a transparent and equitable evaluation process, committee members may share specific benchmarks and measurable outcomes and incorporate them into the criteria, facilitating an objective assessment across all categories.
Adaptability to Emerging Trends: Given the dynamic nature of cannabis, our criteria are designed to be flexible, allowing for the inclusion of new innovations and emerging sectors within the industry.
Engagement with Local Communities: We place a premium on nominees’ collaboration with and contributions to local communities, emphasizing economic, educational, and social impacts.
Transparency in the Selection Process: Detailed information about the selection process, including judge selection, impartiality measures, and conflict of interest management, is made available to ensure confidence in the awards’ integrity.
Feedback and Continuous Improvement: Post-awards, we implement mechanisms to gather feedback from participants, attendees, and the broader community. This continuous feedback loop is crucial for reflecting on the awards’ impact and identifying areas for future enhancement.
Alignment with Patients and Consumers: Our awards criteria align with broader goals for cannabis consumers and non-consumers such as decriminalization, descheduling and honesty in information and data sharing. Sustainability, safety for workers and the needs of those in our community without a voice position the Hawaii Cannabis Awards as a beacon for excellence.

Conflict of Interest Policy

Purpose: The Nomination Committee for the Hawaii Cannabis Awards Show is committed to ensuring the highest standards of integrity, confidentiality, and fairness in the selection process for award categories and nominees. This Conflict of Interest Policy aims to prevent any actual or perceived conflicts of interest that could undermine the committee’s credibility, objectivity, and ability to make informed decisions.

Scope: This policy applies to all members of the Nomination Committee, including the Chair, Administrator, and general members.

Definitions: a. Conflict of Interest: A conflict of interest exists when a committee member’s personal, professional, or financial interests, or those of their immediate family, could potentially impair their ability to make impartial decisions on behalf of the committee. b. Immediate Family: Immediate family includes spouses, domestic partners, parents, siblings, children, and any other relatives residing in the same household.

Disclosure: Upon appointment or election to the committee, and annually thereafter, each member must disclose any potential conflicts of interest, including but not limited to: a. Financial interests, such as ownership or significant equity in a business, or receipt of significant income from an organization, that may be directly or indirectly affected by the committee’s decisions. b. Personal relationships with individuals or organizations that may be directly or indirectly affected by the committee’s decisions. c. Any other factors that could reasonably be perceived as influencing the member’s judgment or objectivity.

Recusal: A committee member must recuse themselves from participating in any discussions, deliberations, or decisions related to a matter in which they have a conflict of interest. Recusal includes abstaining from voting on the matter and excusing oneself from the meeting during the relevant discussions. A committee member may recuse themselves from up to 5 categories or 10 nominees without losing committee member status.

Enforcement: The Nomination Committee shall maintain a record of all disclosures and recusals. Any alleged violations of this policy shall be investigated by the committee’s ethics subcommittee or a designated third party. If a violation is found, the member may be subject to removal from the committee, as determined by the committee chair or majority vote of committee members.

Education and Training: The Nomination Committee shall provide orientation and ongoing training for members on conflict of interest policies and procedures, as well as the importance of ethical conduct and decision-making at the beginning of each meeting of the minds.

Review and Updates: This policy shall be reviewed and updated annually, or as needed, to ensure its relevance and effectiveness in addressing potential conflicts of interest.

By adhering to this Conflict of Interest Policy, the Nomination Committee can maintain its commitment to integrity, transparency, and fairness in the selection process for the Hawaii Cannabis Awards Show.

This comprehensive framework ensures our awards process remains true to our mission of celebrating Hawaiʻi’s cannabis culture, recognizing current achievements, and inspiring a visionary future for the industry. However, it is also important to understand that this is an awards show and as such, no monetary value is bestowed upon nominees or awardees or any related party to the event.