Mukahang Limbu has been announced as the winner of The Borough Press’ non-fiction open submission competition, securing a £10,000 publishing contract for his memoir, Egg-Fried Rice.
The competition, launched in January in collaboration with The Times and the Madeleine Milburn Literary Agency, invited un-agented writers of narrative non-fiction to submit their work. Out of over 250 entries, a judging panel—including literary editor Robbie Millen, literary agent Emma Bal, and HarperCollins’ editorial, marketing, sales, and publicity teams—unanimously selected Limbu’s memoir as the winner. Alongside the cash prize, Limbu will receive literary representation from Emma Bal, and his book is slated for publication by The Borough Press in 2027.
Describing the memoir, The Borough Press stated: Egg-Fried Rice is “a non-linear rumination on growing up queer, British, and Nepali.” The book delves into the identity and legacy of an often-overlooked diaspora, highlighting how writing can uncover hidden stories.
Jabin Ali, assistant editor at HarperCollins and the competition’s lead, expressed excitement about the project: “The Borough Press is committed to representing diverse voices, and we are thrilled to discover Mukahang Limbu’s writing. Egg-Fried Rice is a stunning coming-of-age memoir with lyrical and evocative prose, and we are proud to publish it.”
Limbu, a British-Nepali writer and Queen’s College, Oxford graduate, is an accomplished poet and author. A three-time Foyle Young Poet, he has won the First Story Competition and the Out-Spoken Prize and has been longlisted for the National Poetry Competition and Forward Prizes. His works have appeared in England: Poems from a School (Picador, 2018), Poetry London, The Sunday Times, and other notable anthologies. His debut poetry pamphlet, Mother of Flip-Flops (Out-Spoken Press, 2022), was named The Poetry Book Society’s Pamphlet Choice and featured in The Guardian’s Best Recent Poetry list. Limbu is also a recipient of the Eric Gregory Award and the Harper-Wood Award.
