The Star Guild Awards (previously known as the Apsara Film & Television Producers Guild Award) is an accolade given by the Apsara Producers Guild to recognize excellence in film and television. Originated by filmmaker and scholar Amit Khanna, the Star Guild Awards have been one of the major award events since 2004.
The 22-karat gold statuette was sculpted and designed by the jewellery brand Tanishq and was "inspired by the rich heritage of one of India's most treasured possessions - the Ajanta and Ellora Caves." Nominations for the awards come from selected members of the guild, with the full membership (around 160) available to vote for the winners. The ballots cast by the guild members are then taken to a common venue for the final counting.
The first Star Guild Awards ceremony was held on May 28, 2004 in Mumbai, India to honor outstanding film and television achievements of the 2003-04 film and television season. While the award ceremonies are usually held at the beginning of the subsequent year, the fourth edition of the award ceremony (2008–09) was postponed to the end of the year as a sign of respect to the victims of the 2008 Mumbai attacks. During the sixth edition of the award ceremony, four separate awards were also given to honour the films and performances of December 2009; this included: Vidhu Vinod Chopra winning the Best Film for 3 Idiots, Rajkumar Hirani for his direction of 3 Idiots, as well as Amitabh Bachchan and Vidya Balan for their performances in Paa.