POLYCNo. 01 · October 2026 · The Holiday EditionBudtenders Ball

Budtenders Ball

Send your budtender to the Ball. Then try to get in yourself.

Budtender of the Year is a season, and it ends at the Budtenders Ball in October 2027: a night for the nominees, their sidekicks, their plus-ones, their sponsors, and the guests who won their tickets. Every round on the way there gives guests another chance to win a pair.

The black envelope

If someone handed you a black envelope with pink lettering that says Ticket information ~ Budtenders Ball, this is its page. Inside are a folded leaflet and five nomination cards. The cards are for the people behind the counter who deserve one.

How to nominate with a card

  1. Pick your budtender. The one who knew the answer, kept smiling, told you the truth or surprised you.
  2. Fold down one corner to say why. No pen needed. A circle or a small tear works too.
  3. Leave the card in the tip jar with your tip, or hand it over the counter.

The budtender sees only a letter until they scan the card. Then they find out what it means, and that a guest picked them. If you would rather not be known, the card tells them so: “Your nominator has chosen to remain anonymous.” No card? Use the form on the Budtender of the Year page. Nominations close 5 December 2026.

What the corners mean

A ~ The Nose. The knowledgeable one. Can describe a jar so well you can practically smell it through the counter.

B ~ Saint of Patience. The friendly one. Tourists, questions, more tourists, more questions. Still smiling.

C ~ The Honest One. Said “not this one, you’ll hate it”, and was right.

D ~ Best Surprise. Recommended something you’d never have picked, and now it’s your favourite.

No corner folded is an answer too. You cared enough to nominate them, and that counts.

How a guest gets in

A guest cannot buy a ticket. The only way in is the draw. Every way you take part puts your name in the hat once more, and the hat is never emptied: it is drawn for every event in person and for the Ball, and each winner gets a pair of tickets. Not drawn? Join the volunteer list. Volunteers with the most points are called first.

Ways to take part

Nominating, voting and taking part are always free. Use one email for all of it: your email is your ticket, and prizes go to the email you vote with. Voting, the challenges, member pages and your bring-a-friend link are all on the contest site, budtenders.nl.

What points get you

Points are milestones, not money. You never spend them. As they add up they unlock your handle on the leaderboard, a first look at each challenge before everyone else, an online backstage link at every event (the real backstage, if you win a ticket), a custom copy of Cheeky POLYC for €49 instead of €126 or 40% off a party order for your crew, and a free copy of Cheeky POLYC. The number of points for each step is published when the season opens in January 2027.

The hoodies

Each nominee has an original hoodie with their own avatar on it, and so does each sidekick. A handful of replicas of each design are made for supporters, each one personalised by its buyer, and never remade. Part of every sale goes to the team.

The season

These are the planned dates. Venues and exact times go up here as each one is booked.

Your answers

Your answers are collected with your permission. They help your budtender earn, and they earn you points toward tickets and perks. We never sell names, emails, addresses or phone numbers: not to shops, not to vendors, not to anyone. What we sell is the shape of the market: trends, price points, who travels and when they come.

Budtender? Found a card?

Scan it. Then read what happens next: your team, your hoodie and your share.

Adults only: everyone who nominates, votes, plays or comes to an event is 18 or over. People, not premises: shops are never ranked. Chosen, not drawn: the editor picks the winner, and the draw is for guest tickets only.