The 2026 Crop-Over festival’s Grand Kadooment celebration has wrapped up its annual competitive awards, and veteran mas band leader Betty West has emerged as the standout winner of the season. For the second consecutive year, West claimed the festival’s most coveted honor, the Robert Weekes Award for Best Festival Designer, for her vivid creative portrayal titled *ICONS of Crop-Over* that pays homage to the cultural legacy of the historic Caribbean festival.
West’s production company, Betty West Productions, turned in a dominant performance across multiple competitive categories, securing three additional top honors beyond the designer award. The team took home first place for Best Presentation – Heritage, earned the George Dear Award for Best Band on the Road – Heritage, and claimed the title of Small Band of the Year – Heritage. In the Large Band of the Year – Heritage division, Ryan Forde’s Vida By Esquire claimed the top spot with their thematic presentation *Guardians of Heritage*, which celebrated the deep-rooted cultural traditions of the festival.
Quincy Jones, the leader of mas band Zenobia, earned first place in the festival’s dedicated HIV/AIDS awareness category with his reflective entry *Ribbon of Remembrance*, which honors those impacted by the disease and raises public awareness around ongoing public health efforts.
In the competitive male individual heritage category, which awards the Gwyneth Squires Award to the top costume, Kevin Small of FifthElement Mas took the gold medal for his elaborate costume *Party Another Day*. Rounding out the top three positions were Rachad Goring with *King of the Road* in second place, and Kaveh Holder with *Ribbon of Remembrance* in third, both representing Zenobia.
For the female individual heritage division, also awarding the Gwyneth Squires Award, Suzette Reid of FifthElement Mas claimed first place with her costume *The Bride’s Party*. Betty West herself took second place with her own costume *Trini Ah Come From*, while Morgan Forde of Vida by Esquire rounded out the top three with *Sea Symphony*. The Winston Jordan Award for Best Flag Person went to Justin Poleon of FifthElement Mas, with Kayla Richards of Zenobia taking second and Shanice Husbands of Betty West Productions securing third.
In the final standings for the overall Best Band on the Road competition, Kevin Small and Jaslissa Small’s FifthElement Mas placed second with their presentation *We Party’N*, while Quincy Jones’ Zenobia entry *Spirit of the Road* took third place to close out the award announcements.