The Official Star Wars Fan Film Awards is an annual contest put forth by Lucasfilm and AtomFilms to showcase and acknowledge the growing genre of fan films made by, for, and about fans of the Star Wars saga. The inaugural contest in 2002 was the first time Lucasfilm had officially sanctioned the genre. In 2007, the contest was renamed the Star Wars Fan Movie Challenge. In 2012, Lucasfilm announced that the contest was being discontinued, and that the company was looking for "new ways for fans to share their creativity".
Lucasfilm later announced, via the official Star Wars website, that the Fan Film Awards would return in 2014, for the first time in three years, welcoming different genres and styles. The best short films of that year were screened at Star Wars Celebration 2015 in Anaheim, California. The awards will continue in 2016.
A number of guidelines ensure that entries are produced by amateurs and do not infringe on Lucasfilm properties. The contest limits the content of entries to short film and video parodies, mockumentaries, and documentaries of the Star Wars universe and fan experience. Until 2007, In-universe fan fiction-type stories were not allowed. Rules changed in 2007 after all Star Wars movies have been released and fan fiction is now allowed. The contest imposes a time limit on entries - for the inaugural contest, it was 30 minutes, but this was lowered to 15 for the 2003-2005 contests. For 2006 and 2007, the time limit was lowered again to 10 minutes. Entries must not contain nudity, excessive swearing, explicit sexual themes or graphic violence. In addition, no unlicensed copyrighted material may be used in the entries, with the exception of a collection of approved images, music and sound effects. For 2006 onward, the contest rules were revised to prohibit contributions that are subject to or under the "jurisdiction of any guild or union collective bargaining agreement." (This does not, however, prevent a contestant from submitting an entry if they happen to belong to a union. For example, an amateur film-maker who is also a truck driver that is a member of the Teamsters.)
The awards have been presented at ceremonies held at either Comic-Con International or Lucas’ Star Wars Celebration conventions. For the first contest in 2002, Kevin Smith hosted a special on the SciFi Channel to showcase the winners and some finalists. Winning films have be shown online at starwars.com, atom.com, and some have appeared on SpikeTV. In October 2008, a selection of winning films was shown in a special Star Wars Fan Movie Challenge-themed episode of Atom TV on Comedy Central.
The contest’s grand prize is the George Lucas Selects Award, which is presented to the film Lucas himself selects as his favorite. The Audience Choice Award is selected by the worldwide internet audience, as all contest finalists are available to view online at Atom.com. The Pioneer Award is given to a film that either defined, changed, or influenced the genre. Other awards are given by a jury of people selected from employees of Atom.com and Lucasfilm. Beginning in 2004, some of the major awards were sponsored by Lucasfilm licensees.
George Lucas Selects Award – Christmas Tauntauns; Matt Bagshaw, directorAudience Choice Award – Star Wars Gangsta Rap; Thomas Lee, directorBest Animation – Jar Jar’s Walking Papers; Joe Fournier, directorBest Documentary – Waiting for Jar Jar; Meredith Bragg, directorBest Mockumentary – SW Project; Gregory Hiltz, directorSpirit of Fandom Award – Figure Club; Matt Petrilla, directorYoung Jedi Award – Sparring Program; David Tomaszewski, directorBest Comedy – Stargeeks; Marc A. Samson, directorBest Short Subject – A New Dope; Chris Gortz, directorPioneer Award – Troops; Kevin Rubio, directorGeorge Lucas Selects Award – Pink Five; Trey Stokes, directorAudience Choice Award – The Jedi Hunter; John E. Hudgens, directorSkywalker Sound Award – Carbonite; Mark Rusciano, directorBest Animation – Trooper Clerks; Jeff Allen, directorSpirit of Fandom Award – Silent But Deadly#2; Jeff Cioletti, directorBest Commercial Parody – Dark Side Switch Campaign; Daniel Johnson, directorPioneer Award – Hardware Wars; Ernie Fosselius, directorGeorge Lucas Selects Award – Escape from Tatooine; David Tomaszewski, directorAudience Choice Award – Pink Five Strikes Back; Trey Stokes, directorBest Comedy – Recruitment; Scott Zier, directorBest Animation – Wampa; Andreas Peterson, directorSpirit of Fandom Award – 8 Minutes; Wendy Woody, directorBest Crossover Spoof – Carbonite Confusion; Ryan Simmons, directorPioneer Award – George Lucas in Love; Joe Nussbaum, directorGeorge Lucas Selects Award – For the Love of the Film; Barry Curtis & Troy Metcalf, directorsAudience Choice Award – Sith Apprentice; John E. Hudgens, directorSpirit of Fandom Award – Boba; Mark Rusciano, directorBest Animation – Walk in a Bamboo Bush; Tetsuro Sakai, directorBest Comedy – Cheap Seats; Robert Reeves, directorBest Crossover Spoof – Anakin Dynamite; Wayne Barnes, directorBest Original Concept – Star Wars: Elements; Robert Bunch, directorBest Original Song – One Season More; Timothy Edward Smith, directorPioneer Award – Return of the Ewok; David Tomblin, directorGeorge Lucas Selects Award – Pitching Lucas; Shane Felux, directorAudience Choice Award – Pitching Lucas; Shane Felux, directorSpirit of Fandom Award – Memoirs of a Padawan; Michael Q. Yowhan, directorBest Comedy – Sith'd; Brian Silva, directorBest Commercial Parody – Blue Milk; William Grammer, directorGeorge Lucas Selects Award – Chad Vader - Day Shift Manager; Blame Society Productions, directorAudience Choice Award – Forced Alliance; Randolph Bookman & Gerry Santos, directorsBest Short Subject – Incident at Toshi Station; Tyler Soper, directorBest Animation – IG-88: The Dancing Robot; Anton Bogarty, directorBest Action – Essence of the Force; Pat Kerby, directorBest Comedy – The Eyes of Darth Tater; Lee Vehe, directorBest Fan Fiction – Forced Alliance; Randolph Bookman & Gerry Santos, directorsGeorge Lucas Selects Award – Padmé; Robert Reeves, directorAudience Choice Award – George Lucas Hip-Hop Awards; Kay Minckiewicz & Mark Minckiewicz, directorsBest Comedy – Paraphrase Theater; Will Carlough, directorBest Visual Effects – Ryan vs. Dorkman 2; Ryan Wieber & Michael Scott, directorsBest Creature / Character Makeup – Contract of Evil; Lou Klein, directorBest Short Subject – The Empire Strikes Back in 60 Seconds; Oliver Jones, directorBest Parody – Star Wars Grindhouse: Don’t Go In The Endor Woods; Michael Ramova, directorBest Animation – George Lucas Hip-Hop Awards; Kay Minckiewicz & Mark Minckiewicz, directorsGeorge Lucas Selects Award - Star Wars Retold; Joseph Nicolosi, directorAudience Choice Award - Saber; Clare Grant, Rileah Vanderbilt, Adam Green and Mike CivitanoBest Action Award - Saber; Clare Grant, Rileah Vanderbilt, Adam Green and Mike CivitanoSpirit of Fandom Award - Star Wars: Cinemagic; Joe Presswood, directorBest Comedy Award - ''Star Wars: Episode XVI - Family Dysfuction'; Rich Scheirmann, directorBest Animation Award - Star Wars in a Notebook; Oscar Triana, directorBest Parody Award - Star Sports: Episode M - Theatrical Trailer; Jeff Capone, directorGeorge Lucas Selects Award - The Unconscious Sith; Adam WhiteAudience Choice Award - Renaissance (Redux);Best Action Heroes Award - Chronicles of Young Skywalker;Spirit of Fandom Award - Star Wars 70s Animation;Best Animation Award - The Solo Adventures;Best Sequel Award - The Notebook Strikes Back; Oscar Triana, directorBest Cinematography Award - Makazie One;George Lucas Selects Award – Star Wars: Unlimited Power; Eliot Sirota, directorAudience Choice Award – A Light in the Darkness; Fed Wetherbee, directorSpirit of Fandom – The Tentacle Trap; James Austen, directorBest Acting – Star Wars: Hunter; Sasha Nixon, directorBest Animated Feature – Bounty Hunter II: Pit of Carkoon; Jim Mehsling, directorBest Comedy – Solo Forever; Trey Albright, directorBest Fan Fiction – A Light in the Darkness; Fed Wetherbee, directorBest Sequel – The Unconscious Sith Strikes Back; Adam White, directorFilmmaker Select Award – ''"The Lesser Evil"; Sy Cody White & Andrew Kin, directorsAudience Choice Award – "Journey of a Fan Film"; Alexander Watson, directorBest Non-Fiction Award – "Journey of a Fan Film''; Alexander Watson, directorBest Comedy Award – ''Bounty Buddies''; Jordan & Cody Gustafson, directorsBest Animation Award – "Star Wars: A New Employee Orientation"; Collin Murphy & Jared Hundley, directorsSpirit of Fandom Award – "Force-Full Imagination"; Jim Eimmerman, directorBest Visual Effects – "Knights of the Old Republic: Broken Souls"; Jared Seaich, director