The Official Star Wars Comic Strip Contest, also known simply as the Star Wars Contest, was a contest that was created after A New Hope premiered.
After the successful release of , as well as the release of the daily strips in the Los Angeles Times, Lucasfilm created a national contest promoting the eventual release of .
At least three ads advertised the contest, all largely similar to each other:
To enter, the contestant simply had to send a letter and/or postcard to Lucasfilm Ltd. confirming that they have read the comic strip in the Spokesman Review, by midnight on Halloween of 1979, of which the winners would then be determined randomly at an independent firm.
The letter/postcard was to be submitted to:
The grand prize was an all-expense-paid vacation for two to the gala U.S. premiere of the next Star Wars film, The Empire Strikes Back. The winner and their guest would fly on a commercial airline, stay at a luxury hotel, and receive a full allowance on all meals.
The runner-up won a selection of Star Wars toys, games, books, and craft kits worth $150.00, as well as two complimentary tickets to The Empire Strikes Back that would be issued upon local release.
Those who won third prize locally would receive one Random House book, The Star Wars Question and Answer Book About Space, per letter/postcard.