Ilvy Njiokiktjien was born in 1984 in Utrecht, the Netherlands. After attending high school in the Netherlands, she went overseas for one year, to study in the United States of America (South Dakota). 

She returned to the Netherlands to study journalism and photography in Utrecht. Ilvy graduated in 2006 and she started working as a writer and photographer for the Dutch newspaper Sp!ts and for the Dutch Press Agency, ANP. 

In 2007 she took off to work for The Star, a daily newspaper based in South Africa, Johannesburg. This is where the idea arose to travel from Johannesburg to Utrecht, by car. Ilvy took many astounding photographs during this seven month's journey. 

In 2008 she won the prestigious Canonprijs, part of the Zilveren Camera (Silver Camera). In that same year she also won the first prize in the National Geographic Photography Contest. 

In 2011 Njiokiktjien won the Canon AFJ Female Photojournalist Award. Her work on adolescents in South Africa will be presented at the Perpignan Photo Festival in 2012.