Star Awards 2026: Popularity race kicks off

Singapore, 13 March 2026 – The heat is officially on as Mediacorp kicks off the popularity race for Star Awards 2026 红星大奖 2026 (SA2026), following the reveal of Performance and Programme Award nominees last month. Themed "Born to Glow" (零起风华 微光成炬), the 31st edition of Singapore’s biggest celebration of local Chinese entertainment now invites fans to rally behind their favourites and help decide who will take centre stage come 19 April at The Theatre at Mediacorp.

A total of 165 contenders are in the running across three key popularity categories, including:

• 59 for “Top 10 Most Popular Male Artistes” 十大最受欢迎男艺人
• 59 for “Top 10 Most Popular Female Artistes” 十大最受欢迎女艺人
• 47 for “Most Popular Rising Stars” 最受欢迎潜力星

 The “Top 10” awards are open to artistes with more than five years’ experience, while the “Most Popular Rising Stars” category is dedicated to artistes with five years or less of experience. Please refer to Annex A for the list of contenders.

Eligibility for these popularity awards remains rooted in a transparent, qualification-based framework, such that all artistes who meet the stated criteria will be included in the race for public votes^[1]. These criteria remain unchanged from Star Awards 2025: artistes can qualify by maintaining a meaningful presence across Mediacorp platforms, either by anchoring a series as a lead or main host for at least two episodes, or by accumulating 13 episodes in a combination of roles – whether leading or supporting – across programmes and/or one-off specials. In continuing to recognise the synergy between critical acclaim and public appeal, any contender of a Performance Award also automatically qualifies for the popularity race.

As new hopefuls chase their breakthroughs, SA2026 will also honour two beloved stars whose glow has stood the test of time. Carrie Wong 黄思恬and Romeo Tan 陈罗密欧, each with 10 “Top 10 Most Popular Artiste” wins, are set to join the ranks of “All-Time Favourite Artistes” – a milestone that recognises not just career longevity, but also the unwavering fan support that made them household names.

Angeline Poh, Chief Customer & Corporate Development Officer, Mediacorp, said: “Stardom is never a solo journey, but one shared with fans. From our newest rising stars to our latest ‘All-Time Favourite’ inductees, each milestone celebrates the deep connection that our artistes share with the audience. We are thrilled to see such a strong slate of hopefuls this year and invite every fan to make their voice heard.”

Adding to the heat of the main popularity race is a suite of categories that honour the year’s most unforgettable characters and moments. These include four MY PICK! Awards – “Favourite CP” 最强 CP, “The Show Stealer” 最吸睛角色, “Most Emotional Performance” 最赚人热泪奖 and “The Most Hated Villian” 最讨人厌大反派  – as well as partner-sponsored awards, including “Bioskin Most Charismatic Award” 魅力四射奖, “Chan Brothers My Star Guide Award” 曾兄弟我的导游是红星奖, “Chan Brothers Favourite DJ Group” 曾兄弟最喜爱DJ默契组合 and the “BYD Favourite Male/Female Character” BYD 最喜爱男角色奖Awards.

And as stars are crowned, fans also stand to be rewarded. The BYD prize is back – for the second consecutive year, fans who vote in the BYD “Favourite Character” categories will be entered into an electronic draw to win a brand new BYD Sealion 6 DM-i^[2], a plug-in hybrid SUV. One lucky winner will be selected via an electronic draw witnessed by independent auditors, taking them from cheering in the crowd to cruising home in style.

Voting for key popularity categories “Top 10 Most Popular Male Artistes”, “Top 10 Most Popular Female Artistes” and “Most Popular Rising Stars” are now open at www.mediacorp.sg/StarAwards, and will run till show day on 19 April. Meanwhile, voting for “Best Theme Song”, MY PICK! Awards, and all Partner-sponsored awards will take place from now till 31 March.

For voting details, please refer to Annex B.       

SA2026 will be available live on 19 April on Channel 8, Channel U, mewatch and the Mediacorp Entertainment YouTube Channel. For viewing details, please refer to Annex C.

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

- end -

Please click here for Annexes.