Do you like rocks? Are you an avid mineral collector and you've recently moved all your books from the shelves to make space for your best specimens? Do you like to look at the beauty of rare and precious minerals? Are you interested in mineral properties and how we use minerals in everyday life? Or are you just curious and want to learn more about minerals? Or maybe you have fond memories of a long-lost (but not forgotten!) childhood rock collection? Then Mineral Cup is for you!

What is Mineral Cup?

Vote for your favorite mineral each day in September for the annual Mineral Cup, a single-elimination tournament to determine which contender will be crowned Champion with bragging rights as the best mineral of the year. A total of 32 minerals are featured in the tournament: 15 of the previous year's top contenders, a crowd-selected comeback champ returning after elimination in previous years, and 16 new minerals (including ones that you nominate!). Learn more about minerals, cast your votes, recruit friends and allies to join the game, and campaign for your favorite minerals!

How did Mineral Cup begin?

Mineral Cup started in 2017 when Dr Eddie Dempsey unintentionally started a spirited debate about which mineral was the best. In an effort to gain external support for his beloved quartz, he ran the inaugural Mineral Cup on his personal Twitter account. In 2019, the Cup moved to its own dedicated handle and expanded to an international team of volunteers. Eddie handed administration off to Mika McKinnon, who moved the social media game to its own site in 2023. You can find Mineral Cup campaigns on X, Mastodon, Bluesky, Instagram, Mindat, in school classrooms or the hallways of geology departments, and other places where mineral fans congregate.

What makes a mineral a champion?

With no criteria provided, it’s up to you to decide what makes a mineral the best each year. It could be for scientific reasons, for aesthetics, or something as nebulous as which contender has the most engaging memes. We never know what will drive votes each year, only that you’ll need to recruit and persuade friends, colleagues, and strangers if you want your favourite to survive each round and be crowned champion.

The first two Mineral Cups were won by classic rock-forming minerals, olivine and garnet. Since then, it’s been a silicon-free zone in the winners circle, with contentious water ice reigning supreme in 2019 when planetary scientists joined forces with figure skating fans. Magnetite had the most attraction in 2020, while quirky quetzalcoatlite became the first mineral to win during its inaugural competition year in 2021. After years of enthusiastic campaigns, vibrant fluorite slowly built enough support to win the championship in 2022. Who will it be in 2023?