The Independent Media Agencies Australia (IMAA) has named the eight finalist teams for its 2026 Pitch-Chella program, marking its biggest cohort to date.
The program gives emerging indie media agency talent the chance to sharpen their pitching skills through written submissions and live presentations.
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This year, 24 teams entered from 22 IMAA member agencies. Finalists were selected for their written pitches for national anti-bullying organisation You Can Sit With Me.
You Can Sit With Me is a peer-led program focused on fostering kindness and belonging. It aims to prevent exclusion, bullying and school refusal.
The participating teams were tasked with developing a national media campaign to lift brand awareness and build community engagement for the initiative.
The 2026 Pitch-Chella finalists
The 2026 finalists are:
• Advertising Associates: Jeremy O’Connell, Emily Dunne, Sam Christie-Sherill and Brigh Robinson, Victoria
• Bang Digital: Pia Rossiter, Sam Daisley, Ari Silberstein and Dylan O’Regan, Western Australia
• Hatched: Megan Yee, Chinma Anyanwu, Byron Luckhardt and Manning Brophy, Victoria
• Reload Media: Cleo Cox-Lawson, Drew Hart, Yashi Wadiwala and Harriet Wing, Queensland and Victoria
• Slingshot: Neha Sharma and Anna Nagpaul, New South Wales
• The Noisy Beast: Armin Narcisco, Nick Buratto, Gemma Mottram and Nicola Pavlic, Victoria
• Thinkerbell: Eduarda Cuadros Marquez and Erin Beers, Victoria
• Yango: Sam Rickward, Charles Greene and Sophia Bui, New South Wales
The written pitches were reviewed by a judging panel that included Jenny Parkes, Managing Director at Audience360; Steven Wright, Business Director and Global Media Lead at TrinityP3; Adam Hickey, Founder of Orand; and Sophie Sparks, Founder and CEO of You Can Sit With Me.
The finalists will present their pitches live to the judging panel on 14 July. Winners will then be announced at an awards ceremony at Sydney’s Beresford Hotel on 30 July.
Judges praise strategic thinking
Parkes said the judging panel was impressed by the quality of this year’s submissions.
“Yet again, we have been overwhelmed with the talent on display in this year’s Pitch-Chella entries,” Parkes said.
“All the written pitches were well-researched and well executed, demonstrating strategic thinking, smart creative and innovative responses to the brief.
“Our eight finalist teams thoroughly impressed the judging panel with their ideas, their clear understanding of You Can Sit With Me’s work and objectives, and their willingness to think outside the box and be brave. We’re looking forward to seeing their live pitches on July 14.”
The 2026 Pitch-Chella initiative is led by a steering committee that includes Lisa Blackshaw from Co.gency and Taylor Fielding from TFM, alongside 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.
Top image: IMAA Pitch-Chella 2026 finalists