Short answers, pulled from the story.
The Official Star Wars Fan Film Awards launched in 2002, organized jointly by Lucasfilm and AtomFilms. It was the first time Lucasfilm had officially sanctioned the fan film genre.
The George Lucas Selects Award is the contest's grand prize, chosen personally by George Lucas as his favorite film from that year's entries. It is distinct from the Audience Choice Award, which is decided by the worldwide internet audience voting at Atom.com.
Entries were limited to short film parodies, mockumentaries, and documentaries about the Star Wars universe and fan experience. Fan fiction set within the Star Wars universe was not permitted until 2007, after all the Star Wars theatrical films had been released.
The inaugural 2002 contest allowed entries up to thirty minutes long. The limit dropped to fifteen minutes for the 2003-2005 contests, then dropped again to ten minutes for 2006 and 2007.
Lucasfilm discontinued the contest in 2012, saying it was looking for new ways for fans to share their creativity. The awards returned in 2014, announced via the official Star Wars website, and continued through a final ceremony in 2018.
Ceremonies were held at Comic-Con International or George Lucas's Star Wars Celebration conventions. The first contest in 2002 was an exception: Kevin Smith hosted a special on the SciFi Channel to showcase the winners and finalists.