Star Awards 2026: a celebration of Singapore storytelling at its finest

Singapore, 19 April 2026 – At Star Awards 2026 红星大奖 2026 (SA2026), “Born to Glow” (零起风华 微光成炬) proved less a theme than a verdict. As the 31st edition of Singapore’s biggest celebration of local Chinese entertainment unfolded at The Theatre at Mediacorp with hosting trio Guo Liang 郭亮, Zhang Ze Tong 张哲通 and Cheryl Chou 周智慧 at the helm, brilliance ran deep – across every category, format and generation.

Leading the charge was Emerald Hill – The Little Nyonya Story 小娘惹之翡翠山, the biggest winner of SA2026. The period blockbuster – which drew over 2.1 million viewers locally during its run¹ – was named “Best Drama Serial”, with acting accolades across the board: Jesseca Liu 刘子绚 won “Best Actress”, her first win from seven nominations in the category since 2006; Tyler Ten 邓伟德 claimed his first performance award with “Best Supporting Actor”; Chen Liping 陈莉萍 secured her first “Best Supporting Actress”; and 10-year-old breakout star Ivory Chia 谢芷萱 received the “Young Talent Award”, adding to her growing list of regional accolades. Rounding out its haul, the drama’s theme song Echoes of Petals 落花如雨 claimed “Best Original Song”, while its travelogue spin-off Emerald Hill – Our Hillside Moments 小娘惹翡翠山之开门见山 received “Best Entertainment Programme”, reflecting the connection audiences have formed with the cast both within and beyond the mansion walls.

In a reminder of the depth of talent across all nominees, breaking Emerald Hill’s near sweep of acting categories was Desmond Tan 陈泂江. The household name claimed “Best Actor” for his portrayal of contrasting twins in mystery thriller Devil Behind The Gate 庭外的一角, cementing his place among the year's most compelling performances.

Beyond primetime sagas, SA2026 showed that great stories transcend length, format and platform. The inaugural honour of “Best Microdrama” went to Threesixzero Productions’ Woke Up In My Grandma’s Apron 回到60年代当厨娘, a fantasy tale about a chef transported to 1960s Singapore where she rediscovers her roots through food. Together with Emerald Hill's strong showing, the win reinforces Mediacorp’s ongoing commitment to heritage storytelling. The “Best Infotainment Programme” award went to Singapore’s first celebrity charity cycling relay Pedal On For Love 骑心协力, scoring Threesixzero Productions its second win of the night.

On the audio front, Mediacorp LOVE 972’s The Breakfast Quartet 早安！玉建煌崇 claimed its fifth “Best Radio Programme” honour, affirming its enduring excellence. And for co-host Dennis Chew 周崇庆, the night brought a double celebration, as he also claimed “Best Audio Personality” for the station’s long-running horror series, Mr Zhou's Ghost Stories 周公讲鬼. Not to be outdone, Mediacorp YES 933's Comedy Series YES 933 短片, produced by Wah! Banana, took home “Best Short-form Entertainment Programme”, its virality across the station's social media pages a showcase of how audio personalities are venturing well beyond the airwaves – and into everywhere audiences are.

Where the Programme Awards celebrated craft, the Popularity Awards turned the spotlight to connection – that is, the enduring bond between artistes and fans. Nowhere was this more evident than in the induction of Romeo Tan 陈罗密欧 and Carrie Wong 黄思恬 into the “All-Time Favourite Artiste” hall of fame by Guest of Honour, Minister of State for Culture, Community and Youth & Transport Baey Yam Keng 马炎庆. Reserved for artistes who have each won 10 cumulative “Top 10 Most Popular Artiste” trophies, the honour signified sustained dedication on both sides of the screen.

Adding to the emotion of the evening, SA2026 produced a bumper crop of artistes next in line for the same honour as Desmond Tan 陈泂江, Guo Liang 郭亮, Ya Hui 雅慧 and Paige Chua 蔡琦慧 each claimed their tenth “Top 10” trophies. For Guo Liang especially, the night proved particularly memorable as the veteran host simultaneously took home “Best Programme Host” for his work on Star Awards 2025 红星大奖 2025, spotlighting a storied career that has grown in step with the awards ceremony. Other “Top 10” artistes included first-time winners Ayden Sng 孙政, Hazelle Teo 张颖双 and Nick Teo 张奕恺, next-gen favourites Chantalle Ng 黄暄婷, Hong Ling 洪凌, Richie Koh 许瑞奇, Tasha Low刘怡伶, and Xu Bin 徐彬, as well as audio personalities Chen Ning 陈宁, Gao Mei Gui 高美贵, Marcus Chin 陈建彬, Jeff Goh and more.

As household names shone, so did the stars of tomorrow. Star Search 2024 alumna Gladys Bay 马䲰娗 was named “Best Rising Star”, signalling the continued strength of Mediacorp's talent development pipeline, while “Most Popular Rising Star” recipients Juin Teh 郑六月, Tyler Ten 邓伟德 and Zhang Ze Tong 张哲通 pointed to a growing wave of fan favourites ready to make their mark.

For the full list of winners, please refer to Annex A.

Angeline Poh, Chief Customer & Corporate Development Officer, Mediacorp, said: “Star Awards 2026 was a celebration of Singapore storytelling at its finest. From Emerald Hill’s strong showing to the diversity of winners across genres and platforms, this evening was proof that the best chapter of Singapore storytelling is still unfolding. My heartiest congratulations to all winners, and deepest gratitude to every fan whose support makes it all worthwhile. Together, we’ll keep telling stories rooted at home that also travel well beyond our shores.”

Lending regional gravitas to the celebrations was a stellar lineup of guest award presenters. Headliner Luo Yunxi 罗云熙 took on dual roles as presenter and performer, proving as commanding on stage as he is on screen. He was joined by Julian Cheung 张智霖, Ada Choi 蔡少芬, Bowie Lam 林保怡, Kevin Tsai 蔡康永, Hsieh Ying-xuan 谢盈萱and Jasper Liu 刘以豪, bringing with them decades of screen excellence and star power. Closer to home, the OG Gang – comprising veteran artistes Chen Shucheng 陈澍城, Richard Low 刘谦益 and Choo Hou Ren 朱厚任 – showed that some stars only glow brighter with time. Rounding out the lineup were behind-the-scenes maestros, including famed producer Angie Chai 柴智屏 and music producers Billy Koh 许环良, Lee Si Song 李偲菘 and Lee Wei Song 李伟菘.

Celebrations extended beyond the main stage, with partner-sponsored and fan-driven awards presented across the Backstage LIVE and Walk of Fame segments. Honouring performances that stay with fans long after the credits roll, the “BYD Favourite Male Character” and “BYD Favourite Female Character” awards went to Desmond Tan 陈泂江 and Tasha Low 刘怡伶 for their roles in Devil Behind the Gate and Emerald Hill respectively. The spotlight, as always, was shared with fans. For voting in these categories, Toh Ling Hui was selected via an electronic draw witnessed by independent auditors, and walked away with a brand new BYD Sealion 6 DM-i. Adding to the tally, Tyler Ten 邓伟德 was conferred the "Bioskin Most Charismatic Award”, Dennis Chew 周崇庆 scooped the "Chan Brothers My Star Guide Award", and Mediacorp YES 933’s The DAKA Show took "Chan Brothers Favourite DJ Group".

And when it came to the MY PICK! categories, Emerald Hill’s dominance was absolute. Its cast claimed all four awards: Tasha Low and Zhang Ze Tong took "Favourite CP", Ivory Chia earned "The Show Stealer", Jesseca Liu secured "Most Emotional Performance", and Chantalle Ng clinched "Most Hated Villain" – one final flourish to cap a night where every story, star and fan was born to glow.

The SA2026 Award Ceremony, Walk of Fame and Backstage LIVE marathon are available on demand via mewatch and the Mediacorp Entertainment YouTube Channel. Fans can also catch the repeat telecast of the Walk of Fame and Live Show on Channel 8 on 26 April, at 2.00pm - 3.30pm and 3.30pm - 6.30pm respectively.  

For more information, please refer to www.mediacorp.sg/starawards.

Please click here for Annexes.

¹ Source: SG-TAM 2.0. Data based on the period of 10 Mar to 1 Jun 2025

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Media contacts

Lim Zi Ai
Communications Specialist
ziai.lim@mediacorp.com.sg

Pauline Chua
Communications Specialist
chuapauline@mediacorp.com.sg

About Mediacorp

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