A HUGE congratulations to our KCU Pitchfest 2025 winners — and everyone who submitted their work! It’s nerve-wracking to put your work out there for a competition like this, so high five to everyone who took the plunge!!
Our jury of 20 industry pros reviewed 124 submissions this year.
We have SIX “top 5 winners” because there was a tie for third place!
Without further ado, we are so excited to announce our winners below! Click on the title or image to view the full pitch.
1st Place
1st place: Intergalactic Star Scouts
by Ally Frame
After five misfit girls are convinced to join a scouting troop through their love of snacks, they suddenly notice that gravity is acting strange. With a makeshift backyard science lab, they uncover that Earth is hurdling toward a black hole and it’s up to them to stop it. In this Lumberjanes meets Powerpuff Girls epic, scientific space facts are scattered amidst silly jokes to help educate and inspire girls to fall in love with the world of STEM. (MG)
2nd Place
2nd place: Germinate
by Donna Leong
GERMINATE tells the story of Dak, an 11 year old boy whose self-doubt and insecurity grow external when a tree emerges from his head and engulfs him entirely during his search for his disappearing friend, Lyanne. Through a restorative inner journey where he battles with his hidden demons, reunites with Lyanne, and meets other struggling kids who are also trapped in this interconnected subconscious world, he learns that he is not alone with his troubles. (MG)
3rd Place (tie)
3rd place (tied): Mortified
by Sarah Thomas & Tzook Har-Paz
Just before Halloween, shy Lisa’s eccentric little sister, Biscuit, accidentally performs a demonic ritual which brings Lisa’s top-secret diary full of embarrassing horror fiction and sexy day dreams to life, spitting out all the monsters and characters from her stories. She must now team up with her sister, and the misfit members of Biscuit’s Halloween rock band, to save the town from the ravaging monsters she has kept hidden for so long. (YA)
3rd place (tied): Mothwing
by Skye Molaro
When a fight with her mother goes too far, a young girl meets Death, who gives her a curse: a cloak made of moth wings. Desperate to break the curse and escape her mother, Mothwing goes to the Land of the Fae in search of the Silver Door, a place rumored to cure all ails. With a devoted squire as her guide, Mothwing navigates dangerous Faerie courts, ever-changing labyrinths, and the darkest corners of the realm. (YA)
4th Place
4th place: Piratopia
by Madeleine Rosca
Sheep are supposed to be calm, contented conformists. But hyperactive Heckle and hyperfocused Patch just can’t seem to fit in. So these black sheep brothers have decided to do what all rejected animals do – become pirates! Unfortunately the pirates only take the meanest and most ferocious beasts as members! A pair of tasty-looking lambs are bound to stand out. It looks like Heckle and Patch might not fit in at Piratopia, either…unless it’s on the menu! (MG)
5th Place
5th place: When Anya Met Merlin
by Mariya Goltseva
Starting middle school can already feel scary, but for 11-year-old Anya, it’s a nightmare when she learns she has to move to a new country just as the new school year starts. Anya struggles with bullies, fitting in, and keeping up at school in a different language. With her mom constantly busy and her dad mostly unreachable, Anya fears becoming a burden and is determined to tough it out. Then she meets Merlin, a stray cat who helps her make friends, open up to others, and learn to speak up for herself. (MG)
View the Full Gallery of Pitches
You can view the top 50 here: https://kidscomicsunite.com/kcu-pitchfest-showcase-2025/
View all 124 submissions here: https://kidscomicsunite.com/kids-comics-pitchfest-2025/
What’s next?
Industry Announcement Goes Out the Week of March 31st
Our primary goal with this competition is to help emerging talent gain exposure.
So we will send an announcement about the 2025 Pitchfest Gallery to hundreds of agents, editors, and art directors across the industry.
If you hear from an industry pro about your work, yay!! Keep us posted.
You can help us spread the word by linking to the gallery on your social media accounts or blog and using the hashtag #kcupitchfest. Feel free to @ us and we will try to repost. Let’s make a wave!
We Owe Many Thanks to Many People!
Judges: THANK YOU for the herculean task of reviewing all the pitches and submitting votes in a timely manner. You can view our amazing panel of judges here.
Writers and artists who submitted a pitch- YOU DID IT! Thank you for submitting your work. Whether you were a “winner” or not is not the most important thing. The fact that you worked so hard on your pitch and took the (sometimes scary!) step of submitting it is the real win.
Storytelling, sequential art, and publishing… none of these endeavors are easy. Not in the least. And in submitting to Pitchfest, you’re working on all three of these very challenging things!
Every step you take is another way to learn and improve. We can’t wait to see you continuing on that path. See you in the KCU community!
