The category was introduced in 1998, at the 5th Star Awards ceremony; NKF 5th Anniversary Charity Show received the award and it is given in honour of a Mediacorp variety special which has delivered an outstanding overall performance.
The nominees are determined by a team of judges employed by Mediacorp; winners are selected by a majority vote from the entire judging panel.
Since the ceremony held in 2023, Star Awards remain as the only variety special to win in this category 11 times, surpassing NKF Charity Show which has six wins.
In addition, Star Awards has been nominated on 18 occasions, more than any other variety special.
Lunar New Year's Eve Special holds the record for most nominations without a win, with 11.