Singapore’s Ivory Chia, 9, is youngest actor to win at Asian Academy Creative Awards
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Ivory Chia, nine, won Best Actress In A Supporting Role (Asia-Pacific) for her role in Emerald Hill at the Asian Academy Creative Awards.
PHOTO: SCREENGRAB FROM ASIAN ACADEMY CREATIVE AWARDS/YOUTUBE
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SINGAPORE – Nine-year-old Singaporean Ivory Chia made history as the youngest actor to win at the 2025 Asian Academy Creative Awards (AACA), when she snagged the prize for Best Actress In A Supporting Role (Asia-Pacific).
Now into its eighth edition, the ceremony was held at the Capitol Theatre on Dec 4.
The child star won for her role as the plucky, street-smart younger version of Tasha Low’s Xinniang in Mediacorp’s blockbuster drama series Emerald Hill: The Little Nyonya Story (2025).
Ivory received the same score as Indian actress Garima Vikrant Singh, who was nominated for Indian comedy-drama series Gram Chikitsalay (Village Clinic, 2025), which resulted in a tie. Ivory won after an extra round of judging.
The girl also beat other contenders like South Korean Oscar winner Youn Yuh-jung (for drama series Pachinko, 2022 to 2024) and Hong Kong actress Yoyo Chen (for drama series D.I.D. 12, 2025).
Dressed in a kebaya, Ivory expressed her gratitude to Emerald Hill’s producers, cast and crew in her acceptance speech.
“Thank you for trusting me in this role and guiding me patiently.”
The child star won for her role as the plucky, street-smart younger version of Tasha Low’s Xinniang in Mediacorp’s blockbuster drama series Emerald Hill: The Little Nyonya Story (2025).
PHOTO: SCREENGRAB FROM ASIAN ACADEMY CREATIVE AWARDS/YOUTUBE
She added, referring to her local co-stars: “I would also like to thank my on-screen ‘nya nyas’ (maternal figures) Chen Liping and Jesseca Liu. Thank you for giving me warmth and confidence.”
In October, Ivory was named AACA’s Best Actress In A Supporting Role (Singapore), which led to her nomination in the Asia-Pacific category.
She made her acting debut in local drama Love At First Bite (2022 to 2023) and has appeared in other shows such as Soul Detective (2022), Family Ties (2023), Shero (2023), All That Glitters (2023), Once Upon A New Year’s Eve (2024), Moments (2024), Hope Afloat (2024) and I Believe I Can Fly (2025).
She has also been nominated in Star Awards’ Young Talent Award category twice, in 2023 for Love At First Bite and in 2024 for All That Glitters.
The annual AACA recognises works from 17 nations and regions including Australia, China, Japan, India, New Zealand and South Korea. The judging panel includes industry professionals.
China won the night’s two big awards: Best Feature Film for drama Mumu (2025) and Best Drama Series for Strange Tales Of Tang Dynasty: To The West (2024).
Singapore won five other prizes and tied with Japan for the most number of awards.
They are Best Short Form (Non-Scripted) for documentary series Diablo: Father Antonio Beyond The Veil (2024); Best Branded Programme for Monumental Macao (2024); Best Direction (Non-Fiction) for director Rowena Loh for documentary Karikal Mahal: A Silent Witness (2025); Best Documentary Series for Addicted – The Synthetic Curse (2025); and Best Theme Song or Title Theme for Bebas by Andy Gan and Zalelo for drama series Korban Part II (2025).
