Final-year polytechnic student Georgina Dobson wins Mediacorp's 987 STAR competition
A new voice may soon grace the airwaves: The winner of Mediacorp's 987 STAR 2025 competition, final-year psychology studies student from Temasek Polytechnic Georgina Pattarida Dobson.
Dobson on Saturday (May 31) beat out the other three finalists – Lex Whitlock, Nicolette Callie Wee and Shaniah Kiew – in a two-hour grand finale to win the S$5,000 cash prize, courtesy of Fisherman's Friend, and a contract with Mediacorp 987.
According to Dobson's LinkedIn profile, she is also president of her polytechnic's emcees club.
"Winning still feels so surreal – someone please pinch me! I've grown tremendously since the very day I first stepped into the audition booth. I'm incredibly grateful for the unwavering support and guidance from our amazing mentors throughout this journey," she said.
"I'm also especially thankful for the friendships I've built with so many insanely talented contestants. Can't wait to see what exciting adventures await with Mediacorp 987!'
Hosted by 987 DJs Sonia Chew and Joakim Gomez, the search for the next big audio personality kicked off at the start of April. The competition sought to uncover budding talent, serving as a launchpad for their future careers in the entertainment industry, like what similar contests did for past winners and radio DJs Ann Nicole, Kimberly Wang and Chew herself.
In the finale held live at 313@Somerset on Saturday, the top four finalists competed in a series of challenges designed to bring out their stage presence, vocal prowess, spontaneity and charisma.
For example, in the Wheel Of Flavours challenge, each contestant spun a wheel featuring eight Fisherman's Friend flavours. Each flavour unlocked a "would you rather" question, challenging finalists to respond with creativity, humour and confidence.
In another challenge testing their hosting skills – from witty introductions to compelling conversations and rapport-building – each contestant was tasked to interview local musicians WhyLucas and Shazza live, demonstrating their ability to connect with both the artistes and audience.
Judging the series of challenges were local personality SGAG's Xiao Ming, Mediacorp's Chief Talent Officer Doreen Neo, Mediacorp Class 95's Muttons - Justin Ang and Vernon A, and Mediacorp 987's Programme Director Janice Lim.
Contestants were evaluated based on their "vocal delivery, creativity, originality and audience engagement", said Mediacorp in a media release on Saturday night.
"After careful deliberation, the judges awarded the title of Mediacorp 987 STAR 2025 to Georgina for her authenticity and poise."
Mediacorp's head of growth and audio, Simone Lum, congratulated Dobson for "a truly standout performance that embodied what Mediacorp 987 STAR is all about – creativity, authenticity, and strong audience connection".
"We're also incredibly proud of all our finalists – each of them brought something special to this competition, and it's been a joy to witness their growth over the course of this journey. We hope this experience has been rewarding for them, and we look forward to seeing where their talents will take them in the media industry," she said.
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