By Luke Sumpter

Key Takeaways

  • Royal Queen Seeds earned three 1st-place trophies at the HighLife Cup 2026, with wins across Mostly Sativa, Mostly Indica, and Best Autoflower categories.
  • Green Crack Punch took 1st place in Mostly Sativa thanks to her fruity terpene profile, uplifting character, and balanced Green Crack x Purple Punch genetics.
  • Sticky Queen won the Mostly Indica category with dense, resin-heavy flowers, sweet creamy aromas, and a deeply relaxing indica profile.
  • Triple G Auto claimed Best Autoflower, showing that fast, compact automatic genetics can still deliver cup-level resin, flavor, yield, and flower quality.


Three 1st-place trophies at the HighLife Cup 2026 put Royal Queen Seeds firmly in the spotlight, and if you have grown any of these strains, a share of that win is yours too. Independent judges recognized three standout cultivars across major categories at Europe’s oldest cannabis competition, whose 32nd edition took place on June 4 in Breda, drawing seasoned breeders, growers, and enthusiasts into one serious test of genetics.

For home growers scanning the HighLife Cup 2026 winners, these results matter because judging is conducted blind by a panel of cannabis experts. No tag, no brand story, just aroma, structure, resin, and the quality of the finished bud.

See the cannabis cup awards and winning Royal Queen Seeds strains, including Triple G Auto, Green Crack Punch, and Sticky Queen.

Three Categories, Three First Places

The 2026 results were clear: three Royal Queen Seeds award-winning strains entered three key categories, and each came away with 1st place. For growers, that means a useful spread of competition-backed genetics rather than one isolated win, and a credible shortlist among the best cannabis strains 2026 has produced.

  • Green Crack Punch: 1st place in the Mostly Sativa category, recognized for her sharp, fruity profile and uplifting character.
  • Sticky Queen: 1st place in the Mostly Indica category, standing out with dense flowers and heavy resin production.
  • Triple G Auto: 1st place in the Best Autoflower category, proving that automatic genetics can compete at cup level.

Green Crack Punch: Sativa Gold

Discover Green Crack Punch, a mostly sativa cannabis strain and award-winning variety with impressive resinous buds.

Green Crack and Purple Punch give Green Crack Punch a clear split personality: bright, fruit-driven energy from one side, and deeper berry sweetness from the other. That balance helped her stand out in the Mostly Sativa category, where judges weighing the best sativa strains expect lift, definition, and a terpene profile with real presence.

On the nose, she leans into citrus, tropical fruit, and ripe grape notes, with a sweet earthiness underneath. Users commonly describe her effect as upbeat and clear at first, then more relaxed as the session settles, which suits growers looking for a daytime-leaning cultivar without a thin or one-note finish.

As a Green Crack Punch sativa option, she also offers practical cultivation appeal. Indoor plants stay manageable, flowering usually wraps up in 8–9 weeks, and the finished buds combine bag appeal with a lively aromatic profile. In a blind judging format, that combination of structure, flavor, and effect character carries weight.

Green Crack Punch
23_genetic background_1 Green Crack x Purple Punch
33_Yield indoors_1 16 to 19 oz/m²
31_plant height outdoor_1 3 to 5 feet
25_flowering time_1 55 - 60 days
29_THC_1 Up to 18%
28_Type Blend_1 Sativa 60% Indica 40%
34_yield outdoor_1 19 to 21 oz/plant
32_plant height outdoors_1 6 to 7 feet
27_harvest period_1 Late September
22_Effect_1 Calming, Euphoric
30_CBD_1 Low

Buy Green Crack Punch

Sticky Queen: Indica at Its Finest

Discover Sticky Queen, a mostly indica cannabis strain and award-winning variety with dense, resinous buds.

Dense flowers, heavy resin, and a rounded indica profile made Sticky Queen a natural fit for 1st place in the Mostly Indica category, and a strong contender among the best indica strains in the RQS catalog. Bred from Cookies Gelato and Sherbet Queen, she brings together dessert-like sweetness, rich resin coverage, and the compact, weighty flower structure that judges expect from a serious indica entry.

Her aroma sits in the sweet, creamy, and slightly earthy corner of the terpene spectrum, with enough depth to keep each jar opening interesting. As a Sticky Queen indica cultivar, she is commonly associated with a physically relaxing experience and an unhurried, settled character, making her better suited to slower evenings than busy daytime tasks.

The name is not decorative. Sticky Queen develops resinous buds that live up to it, leaving flowers coated and tactile by harvest. In blind judging, visible trichome density, strong aroma, and a coherent indica identity all help explain why she rose above the category.

Sticky Queen
23_genetic background_1 Kosher Kush x OG Kush
33_Yield indoors_1 14 to 16 oz/m²
31_plant height outdoor_1 3 to 4 feet
25_flowering time_1 55 - 60 days
29_THC_1 Up to 23%
28_Type Blend_1 Sativa 40% Indica 60%
34_yield outdoor_1 15 to 17 oz/plant
32_plant height outdoors_1 4 to 7 feet
27_harvest period_1 Early October
22_Effect_1 Physically Relaxing, Sleepy, Uplifting
30_CBD_1 Low

Buy Sticky Queen

Triple G Auto: Autoflower Royalty

Discover Triple G Auto, an award-winning autoflower cannabis strain with resinous buds and impressive growth potential.

Fast genetics only impress judges when the finished flower keeps pace, and Triple G Auto does exactly that. She takes the resin-heavy character of Triple G, itself rooted in Gorilla Glue and Gelato 33, and adds autoflowering genetics to create a compact, quick, and productive cultivar.

For home growers, the attraction is straightforward. Plants move from seed to harvest without a light-cycle switch, making them easier to run in small tents, balconies, and outdoor windows with limited season length. As a Triple G Auto autoflower, she can finish in around 10–12 weeks after sprouting while still producing dense, aromatic buds with sweet, earthy, and diesel-like notes.

Yield potential gives her cup result extra weight. Under good indoor conditions, plants can reach around 15 oz/yd², while outdoor specimens remain manageable and discreet. That mix of speed, resin, flavor, and accessibility explains why Triple G Auto earned 1st place as Best Autoflower.

Triple G Auto
23_genetic background_1 Triple G x Big Skunk Auto
33_Yield indoors_1 16 to 19 oz/m²
31_plant height outdoor_1 2 to 4 feet
25_flowering time_1 55 - 60 days
29_THC_1 Up to 20%
28_Type Blend_1 Sativa 15% Indica 80% Ruderalis 5%
34_yield outdoor_1 3 to 5 oz/plant
32_plant height outdoors_1 3 to 5 feet
22_Effect_1 Clear, Fast Thinking, Motivating
30_CBD_1 Low
110_harvest 70 - 85 days after germination

Buy Triple G Auto

Why This Win Actually Matters

Blind judging removes the easiest routes to bias. At the HighLife Cannabis Cup Europe, entries are assessed without brand names attached, so the panel focuses on the flower in front of them: aroma, structure, resin, flavor, and overall quality.

That makes the result useful for growers. Independent cannabis experts are not rewarding a tag or a familiar logo; they are comparing finished buds against other serious entries. For anyone weighing up cannabis cup-winning strains, these awards offer practical validation under objective scrutiny. They do not replace your own grow-room results, but they do point to genetics that performed when tested fairly.

What These Results Mean for Growers

Three separate 1st places give growers a clear signal: Green Crack Punch led the Sativa category, Sticky Queen topped Indica, and Triple G Auto took Best Autoflower. Because those placings came from blind judging, they carry more weight than a standard strain description. They point you toward genetics that have already been compared against serious competition, making your next seed choice a little more evidence-led.

Cookies settings

We are requesting your permission to use your data for the reasons stated below:

Functional cookies

Functional cookies help our website to function optimally and allow us to personalise certain features.

Preference cookies

Preference cookies allow us to remember information that influences the way our website looks, including your preferred language based on your region.

Analytical cookies

Analytical cookies give us insights into website traffic and customer behaviour, including how many people visit our site, how long they browse for, and which parts of our site they visit.

What are cookies?

Cookies are small pieces of data from a particular website that get stored on a user’s computer while they’re surfing the internet. Cookies have several different functions. Some of them track browser activity that enables businesses to deliver targeted advertisements. Other cookies serve to remember user login details to different websites to make jumping on social media, or other sites, a more fluid process. Because each cookie has its own unique ID, these pieces of data allow website owners to measure the unique traffic coming into their site.

Why do we use cookies?

Cookies come in handy when you visit our website. They ensure you stay logged in, that you can shop safely, and that the items you add to your cart stay there before you make a purchase. But cookies also help us. The data they provide allow us to improve our website and enable us to present you with targeted advertisements that are compatible with your interests.

What kind of cookies do we use?

Functional cookies

Functional cookies help our website to function optimally and allow us to personalise certain features.

Preference cookies

Preference cookies allow us to remember information that influences the way our website looks, including your preferred language based on your region.

Analytical cookies

Analytical cookies give us insights into website traffic and customer behaviour, including how many people visit our site, how long they browse for, and which parts of our site they visit.

How can I disable or delete cookies?

Not a fan of cookies? No worries. You can disable them (with the exception of necessary cookies) in your browser settings. However, blocking cookies may impact your browsing experience and prevent you from enjoying all of the technical features of our site.

Privacy Policy - Royal Queen Seeds

To ensure a safe online environment and guarantee adequate data protection, we strictly comply with all legal requirements. In this privacy statement, we provide information about how and for what purpose data is collected, safety measures, storage periods and contact details.


COMPANY NAME: SNORKEL SPAIN, SL (hereinafter ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS)

C/ Vilar d'Abdelà, 5 (nave 1) CP: 08170 de Montornès del Vallès

+34 937 379 846

[email protected]


The present Privacy Policy sets out the terms on which we will treat personal data at ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS; this includes any personal data collected through our website https://www.royalqueenseeds.com/ as well as any other data we process in the course of our business activities.

ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS collects the following personal data for the purposes listed below:

SECTION 1 – PERSONAL INFORMATION WE COLLECT

1.1 Account purchases

Account purchases can only be made if you are in possession of a personal account. When you create an account or purchase something from our shop, as part of the buying and selling process we collect the following personal information that you provide to us:

This information is required for delivery. In addition, when you browse our shop, we automatically receive the Internet Protocol (IP) address of your computer. Based on this information, we can optimise your online experience and at the same time protect our online environment.

Purpose of data collection

We collect and store account-related data for the following purposes:

(a) to carry out obligations arising from any contracts between you and us, and to provide you with information, products and services that you may request from us;

(b) to set up, manage and communicate with you about your account and your orders;

(c) to conduct market research and analysis;

(d) to confirm your age and identity, and to detect and prevent fraud.

1.2 Newsletters

With your explicit permission, we may send you newsletters about our shop, new products and other updates. We send newsletters based on your explicit consent. In the event that you purchase a product, and in accordance with current regulations, we may send you commercial communications in accordance with the legitimate interest of our company, always about products or services similar to those you have purchased or contracted. In any case, you may exercise your right of opposition through the channels announced in this Privacy Policy. The following information is collected in relation to the newsletter:

We do not need to know the sex of the person in order to send the newsletter (data minimisation: by law we must ask for data that is strictly necessary to provide the service, and in this case knowing the sex is not necessary to send the newsletter).

Purpose of data collection

The data collected is used to:

(a) personalise our emails, including your name and gender;

(b) provide gender-specific content.

You can withdraw your consent at any time by using the link provided in the newsletter or the contact information provided in section 2.

1.3 Customer service and contact form

In order to provide appropriate support, our customer service employees have access to information related to the account. Consequently, their support will be highly effective and friendly. The data provided in our contact form is used by our CRM provider, SuperOffice. We will only use your details to respond to your message.

SECTION 2 – LEGITIMATE INTEREST

If you have purchased any of our products, please note that we may process your personal data for promotional purposes, based on Royal Queen Seeds' legitimate interest only to offer you products or services from our company and about products or services similar to those you have purchased. You may exercise your right to opt out of future messages by the means set out in this Privacy Policy or through any notification you receive.

2.1 How do you withdraw consent?

If you change your mind, you can withdraw your consent for us to contact you for the purpose of collecting, using, or disclosing your data at any time by reaching out to us at: [email protected].

SECTION 3 – DISCLOSURE

We may disclose your personal information if we are required to do so by law or if you breach our Terms of Service.

SECTION 4 – HOW LONG DO WE KEEP YOUR DATA?

At Royal Queen Seeds, we will not retain your data for longer than is necessary for the purposes described in this Policy. Different retention periods apply for different types of data; however, the longest period we will normally hold any personal data is 10 years.

4.1 Account information

Data relating to the account remains relevant for as long as the consumer is in possession of an account. Therefore, the data remains documented for as long as the account exists. When our customers delete an account, the associated data will be deleted within a reasonable period of time. Requests regarding the inspection or correction of stored personal data or the deletion of an account can be sent to [email protected].

4.2 Newsletters

In the event that you give us your consent to inform you about our products or services, we will keep your data until you express your wish not to receive any further communications from us. However, we regularly (every month) carry out a relevance check. Registered customers (and their personal information) will be deleted whenever customers do not reply to our request. In addition, our newsletter mailing has an opt-out feature. Consumers can withdraw their consent by using this opt-out feature.

SECTION 5 – COOKIES

Cookies are small information files that notify your computer of previous interactions with our website. These cookies are stored on your hard drive, not on our website. Essentially, when you use our website, your computer displays its cookies to us, informing our site that you have visited before. This allows our website to function more quickly and remember aspects related to your previous visits (such as your username), making your experience more convenient. At Royal Queen Seeds, we use two types of cookies: functional and analytical.

5.1 Functional Cookies

Functional cookies are used to enhance your online experience. Among other things, these cookies track what is added to your shopping cart. The use of these cookies does not require prior authorization.

5.2 Analytical Cookies

Analytical cookies are used for research and market analysis. The data collected with these analytical cookies is anonymous, making it unusable for third parties. The use of these cookies does not require prior authorization.

SECTION 5 – THIRD-PARTY SERVICES

Third-party services are required to conduct transactions and provide our services. In general, the third-party providers we use will only collect, use and disclose your information to the extent necessary to enable them to perform the services they provide to us.

However, certain third-party service providers, such as payment gateways and other payment transaction processors, have their own privacy policies regarding the information we must provide to them for your transactions.

We encourage you to read the privacy policies of these providers so that you can understand how these providers will handle your personal information.

In particular, certain suppliers may be located or have facilities located in a different jurisdiction than yours or ours. Therefore, if you choose to proceed with a transaction involving the services of a third party, your information may be subject to the laws of the jurisdiction in which that service provider or its facilities are located.

Once you leave our website or are redirected to a third-party website or application, you are no longer governed by this Privacy Policy or the Terms of Service of our website.

Web analytics service (anonymous data)

On this website we have integrated an element of a web analytics service (with anonymisation functionality). Web analytics can be defined as the gathering, processing and analysis of data about the behaviour of visitors to websites. An analytics service collects, among other things, data about which website a person came from (the so-called referrer), which sub-pages they visited or how often and for how long they visited a sub-page. Web analytics is mainly used for website optimisation and for a cost–benefit analysis of internet advertising.

Courier service

To complete deliveries we use a courier service. This courier service carries out the delivery between our company and the consumer's home. To complete these logistics, the company requires access to the consumer's name and address information.

Mailing service

Royal Queen Seeds uses a third-party mail service provider to send its newsletter. This provider has access to limited account information related to opt-in consent (e.g. email address).

Marketing services

Royal Queen Seeds has the support of a company that specialises in marketing and communication activities. Their access to personal information is very limited and mostly anonymous.

Payment services

At Royal Queen Seeds we use external payment services to handle our transactions (e.g. credit card payments).

SECTION 6 – SECURITY

To protect your personal information, we take reasonable precautions and follow industry standard best practices to ensure that it is not inappropriately lost, misused, accessed, disclosed, altered or destroyed.

If you provide us with your credit card information, the information is encrypted using secure socket layer technology (SSL) and stored using AES-256 encryption. Although no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure, we follow all PCI-DSS requirements and implement additional industry standards that are commonly accepted. Information related to the account is protected with a hashing method. This method transforms the information into a generated hash. As a result, confidential information is protected and invisible, even to us. In addition, our databases are exceptionally protected against unauthorised access. For example, access to the database is only possible and permitted via approved IP addresses (e.g. from Royal Queen Seeds headquarters). Other attempts and addresses are rejected at all times.

Furthermore, data is anonymised as much as possible, so it cannot be directly linked to a specific consumer. With this data, however, we may be able to carry out market research and analysis. In addition, the third parties concerned (e.g. mailing service) are examined prior to our collaboration, comply with the GDPR from the EU and receive a processing agreement. Within Royal Queen Seeds, employees are assigned different access permissions. Specific permission provides access only to information that is strictly required to perform a task. Digital security measures are subject to change and must meet high requirements to ensure the safety of online customers. That is why, at Royal Queen Seeds, we appoint a security officer. Regular verification and improvement of security measures (where necessary) are part of the role.

SECTION 7 – CHANGES TO THIS PRIVACY POLICY

We reserve the right to modify this Privacy Policy at any time, so please check back regularly. Changes and clarifications will be effective immediately upon being published on the Website. If we make substantial changes to this policy, we will notify you here that it has been updated so you will know what information we collect, how we use it and under what circumstances, if any, we use and/or disclose it.

SECTION 8 – YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO: