The contest announcement The Official Star Wars Comic Strip Contest, which can also be referred to as the Star Wars Contest, was a competition conceived following the debut of A New Hope.
Following the successful theatrical release of Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope, and in conjunction with the publication of the daily strips within the Los Angeles Times, Lucasfilm organized a nationwide competition to generate excitement for the upcoming release of Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back.
Advertisements for the contest appeared at least three times, and they were all quite similar:
To participate, contestants were required to send either a letter or a postcard to Lucasfilm Ltd., confirming their readership of the comic strip featured in the Spokesman Review. This submission had to be postmarked by midnight on Halloween in 1979. The winners would then be chosen at random by an independent company.
The letter or postcard needed to be mailed to:
The top prize consisted of a fully funded trip for two to the U.S. premiere of the next Star Wars movie, which was The Empire Strikes Back. The winner and a guest would travel via commercial airline, be accommodated in a luxurious hotel, and be given an allowance to cover all meal expenses.
Local third-place winners were given one Random House book, which was The Star Wars Question and Answer Book About Space, for each letter or postcard they submitted.