There are mushroom cups, and then there’s "The Cup".

For a half a decade, the Hyphae Cup has been more than a competition - it’s been a crucible. A proving ground. A launchpad for some of the most respected names in psilocybin cultivation, testing, community and brand building. You don’t win the Hyphae Cup for clout, you win it because your mushrooms are unique, your craft is disciplined, and your test results speak for themselves.

And now, it’s back!

This year, getting to the Hyphae Cup isn’t as simple as submitting a sample and hoping for the best.

The 2025 Hyphae Cup is invite-only. Which means if you’re not already on our radar, you’ll need to earn your way in. That’s where our partnerships with qualifying Cups come in to play aka your best (and possibly only) shot to qualify for the highest level of mushroom competition in the game.

Enter Entheo Cup: First Stop on the Road to Hyphae Cup
August 23rd in Detroit, the Entheo Cup kicks off the first qualifier for the 2025 Hyphae Cup. Built on the same DNA as Hyphae; community integrity, real lab science, and zero tolerance for ego-driven fluff, this is your first chance to make it in the running for the Only Cup That Matters.

Next Up: National Cup - D.C. or Bust
Then on August 30–31st, Washington D.C. hosts Psychana and the National Mushroom Cup, the official east coast qualifier. This isn’t just another regional fungi fest with a participation trophy. This is your shot to break into the big leagues. Results will be published publicly by Hyphae Labs, and the winners will be announced on Saturday, August 30th.

*More regional qualifying Cups to be announced soon*

Place at any of these events and you will earn a coveted spot in the Hyphae Cup, where the best of the best go head-to-head against each other, many of whom have already been featured in:

Psychedelics Today | DoubleBlind | VICE | The Guardian

Greenstate | SF Chronicle | Hyphae Leaks

What’s At Stake

Let’s not get it twisted: this isn’t about getting your name on a website or receiving a plastic trophy. Winning the Hyphae Cup comes with real stakes and real rewards:

• $1,000 cash prize
  

• Potential distribution contract with a national genetics distributor
  

• Feature in Hyphae Leaks Substack, with over 55,000 readers
  

• And bragging rights that actually translate into something tangible in a space increasingly flooded by grifters, clones, copycats and clout chasers

Let’s be honest, everyone’s doing a cup now. All of them wish they had the impact that we do. The Hyphae Cup is the original, the most copied, the most scrutinized, and still the most respected. If you’ve been in this space long enough, you know that the Cup has jump-started careers, validated underground legends, and helped define standards in an industry that still pretends it doesn’t need any.

Built on Real Data, Not Just Vibes

This isn’t just a beauty pageant for caps and stems. The Hyphae Cup was born from Hyphae Labs, the first lab to bring rigorous, community-accessible psilocybin potency testing from the underground to the World. If you’ve read Paul Stamets’ Psilocybin Mushrooms in their Natural Habitat or The Psilocybin Mushroom Bible, you’ve already seen our impact. We’ve shaped how mushrooms are appreciated and have diversified the cultivators who are taken seriously and elevated.

Our testing protocol is consistent, and designed to level the playing field. Whether you’re a basement phenohunter, a legacy grower, or an emerging genetics lab, the data speaks louder than any influencer ever could.

Who Should Enter

If you’ve ever felt that your work deserves more than likes.
If your fruiting bodies tell a story that lab results can back up.
If you believe in the power of mushrooms and in the accountability that comes with being part of a serious community, this is for you.

But let us be clear: not everyone makes it. That’s the point.
Hyphae Cup has never been about participation awards but we do value diversity.

Apply before it’s too Late

Submissions for the National Cup and Entheo Cup are now open.

Sponsorship Opportunities Available Now

Email OaklandHyphae@gmail.com

Stay tuned next week for a MAPS Psychedelic Science 2025 recap.

The Good. The Bad. AND the Juneteenth drama.

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