KATHMANDU, Feb 18: Deepmala Kharel Dhakal has been crowned Miss Nepal Hong Kong 2026 at a grand ceremony held recently in Hong Kong.
Miss Nepal Hong Kong 2024, Ashma Kumari KC, presented the crown to Deepmala during the coronation event attended by members of the Nepali diaspora community.
With the title, the 23-year-old will represent Hong Kong at the Miss Nepal 2026 pageant, scheduled to take place in Kathmandu later this year.
Hong Kong, the Pearl of the Orient, will shine again
Deepmala is following in her mother’s footsteps more than three decades after her mother competed in Nepal’s first national beauty pageant in 1994.
Born and raised in Hong Kong, Deepmala graduated from the University of Hong Kong in 2024 and currently works as an investment strategist at BlackRock. The same year, she was named to the Diversity List of the The Zubin Foundation, which recognises high-calibre individuals from Hong Kong’s ethnic minority communities for potential public service roles.
Following her coronation, she said she aims to represent the culture and values of the Hong Kong Nepali community. The South China Morning Post quoted her as saying: “I want to carry the spirits of Hong Kong Nepalese, and not just their spirits. I want to showcase the Hong Kong Nepalese culture and values.”
Describing herself as a “third culture kid” — someone raised in a culture different from that of their parents — she said she often looked to Nepal for role models who shared her background while growing up in Hong Kong.
The beauty pageant has been a fixture within the Nepali community in Hong Kong for over a decade. However, the 2026 edition was the first to be held under its new title, Miss Nepal Hong Kong International, following organisational restructuring.
Winning the Hong Kong title grants Deepmala entry into the Miss Nepal national competition, whose winner goes on to represent Nepal at major international pageants, including Miss World.
