KCU Pitchfest Showcase 2026 (Shortlist)
Entire 2026 Gallery | List of Judges | 2025 Showcase
Comics creators from around the world have submitted their unpublished projects to be previewed online by editors and agents. A panel of judges have selected the top pitches. The projects are archived here so that industry pros may view them and discover new talent.
Attached
Abby remembers when her mum was fun, when they used to be a team. Abby developing Type 1 Diabetes at 6 years old changed that. Now almost 12, Abby feels as though the diabetes is the only part of her that her mum sees. When they move to her mum’s childhood hometown “for Abby”, she’s had enough. Abby is determined to prove to her mum, and everyone, that she can take care of herself, and doesn’t need help managing her diabetes. Then maybe her mum will go back to how she used to be, to seeing Abby as her “sidekick” again, instead of just her “diabetic daughter”.
Age Range:
Middle Grade (approx ages 9-12)Genre:
Disability Content, Fiction, LGBTQ+, Realistic Fiction/Slice of LifePage Count Estimate:
200
My Why:
Growing up with Type 1 Diabetes I often felt that people saw my diagnosis first, and me second. With every pause being filled with an asked “are you alright?”, and every visit to the school nurse for a band aid met with “what are your bloody sugars?”. The well-meant concern can drag on a young person who wants to be seen for themself, not their condition.
Through this story, through Abby, I hope to show the resilience that can come with having a medical condition that so few understand, along with the stubbornness that can develop from feeling others are watching too closely.
Comp Titles:
Mixed-Up by Kami Garcia & Brittney Williams, Four Eyes: A Graphic Novel by Rex Ogle & Dave ValezaClaire Murray
Claire is an author/illustrator who spends every spare moment daydreaming worlds. By day she is a school based Occupational Therapist (OT), and by night she creates. Claire has a BA in Animation & Interactive Media, a GradDip in Secondary Art Teaching & a MA of OT. No matter what interest she has pursued in life, creating has remained the cornerstone of her world, and she works with the goal of sharing her worlds with others. She lives in Bendigo, Australia with her beautiful old dog, Milton.