It is administered by the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO) through the IAU's Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams (CBAT).
[1] Edgar Wilson was an American businessman who lived in Lexington, Kentucky.
[1] After he died in 1976, the Edgar Wilson Charitable Trust Fund was set up and awards were allocated in accordance with the terms of his bequest.
In any year when there are no eligible discoverers, CBAT makes the award to the amateur astronomer or astronomers it considers "have made the greatest contribution toward promoting an interest in the study of comets".
[2] Although the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory has awarded the recipients, after 2014 the Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams could confirm in 2024 that the awards for the comet discoveries in the period July 2014 – June 2018 had been given.