A record 24 agency teams will compete in this year's Pitch-Chella, run by Independent Media Agencies Australia (IMAA).
Now in its third year, the program gives early-career agency professionals the chance to develop pitching skills and collaborate with peers as they build a strategic campaign for a chosen charity.
The 24 teams come from 22 IMAA member agencies across NSW, Victoria, Queensland and Western Australia, and will pitch a national media campaign for You Can Sit With Me, an Australian anti-bullying charity.
This year's participating teams come from Adtorque Edge, Advertising Associates, Aeon Marketing, Alpha Digital, Audience Group, Bang Digital, Bastion, Campaignifi, Enigma, Hatched Media, Media Republic, Noisy Beast, Reload Media, Slingshot, Speed, Strat, TFM, The Media Store, Thinkerbell, This is Flow, T&T Media, and Yango.
Teams will prepare written pitches for a national media campaign focused on increasing You Can Sit With Me's brand awareness nationally and building community engagement.
Participants must create a campaign that positions the charity as Australia's leading voice for kindness, inclusion and belonging in schools, and builds understanding of the social and emotional challenges faced by Australian children.
The pitch must also support the organisation's growth by boosting engagement among educators, students, parents and key strategic partners, while helping drive school participation, attract funding, and increase merchandise sales.
You Can Sit With Me is an Australian charity focused on reducing bullying, loneliness and school refusal among children and young people.
The organisation promotes kindness, belonging and connection in schools and communities through peer-led programs and education initiatives.
Written pitches will be reviewed by a panel of industry experts, including Audience360 Managing Director Jenny Parkes (sponsor), TrinityP3 Business Director and Global Media Lead Stephen Wright, Orand Founder Adam Hickey, and You Can Sit With Me Founder and CEO Sophie Sparks.
The judging panel will look for clear, strategic and creatively executed pitches, judging entries on their ability to articulate the brand's objectives and challenge, offer compelling insights, emphasise innovative execution and demonstrate campaign effectiveness.
Eight shortlisted finalists will be announced on Friday, June 26, before presenting a virtual pitch to the judging panel on Tuesday, July 14. Winners will be announced at an award ceremony at Sydney's Beresford Hotel on Thursday, July 30.
“We have been overwhelmed with the response to this year’s Pitch-Chella event,” said IMAA CEO, Sam Buchanan.
"We have our largest ever cohort of participants, representing a record number of member agencies from across the country.
"To see this initiative become a widely popular national program, attracting nearly 80 up-and-coming young industry professionals, demonstrates its success in providing professional development and partnership opportunities for emerging industry talent.
“Our challenge for this year’s entrants is to focus on pitches that spark something. The strongest entries combine creativity with clear strategic thinking, demonstrate genuine audience understanding and have the confidence to challenge convention. We’re looking for pitches that have that ‘aha moment’ – it’s about originality, impact and the ability to turn insights into an idea that our judging panel will remember.”
The 2026 Pitch-Chella program is led by a steering committee of independent agency leaders, including Lisa Blackshaw (Co.gency) and Taylor Fielding (TFM Digital), along with the IMAA team.
This year's program is sponsored by gold sponsor Audience360 and supporting sponsors Are Media, Channel Factory, News Australia, Meta, Microsoft Advertising, Snapchat and Taboola.
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