Art instructor wins first place at international comics pitch competition

Art instructor wins first place at international comics pitch competition

A Northwest Missouri State University faculty member is bringing enhanced knowledge about art and publishing to the classroom this fall after receiving the top prize in a pitch competition for graphic novels.

Britain Bray, a Northwest assistant professor of art, won first place at the Kids Comics Unite (KCU) Pitchfest this summer for their submission, "I'm a Dungeon Skeleton!"

The Pitchfest competition invites comics creators from around the world to submit unpublished projects for review by editors and agents. Judges award the top 10 submissions and connect artists with agents to help them publish their work.

"I've always had the goal of publishing, and it's been this journey of trying to figure out how to get to that point," Bray said. "When I heard about Pitchfest, which specifically targets comics for teenagers and younger, I decided to shelve my old ideas and work on something fresh for Pitchfest using the knowledge I gained from my old projects."

Five weeks before the submission deadline, Bray began "I'm a Dungeon Skeleton!" a story that drew inspiration from Dungeons and Dragons and other fantasy tropes.

"I thought, what if there was a story where the weakest enemy on the first level of a dungeon is the protagonist," Bray said. "That came from growing up, playing video games. There would be side characters or villains that I wish had a story behind them, and for my pitch I wanted to create something that would give them that story."

Bray's pitch packet contained a synopsis of their story and pages of the fully illustrated comic. Their winning pitch competed against nearly 100 submissions from graphic creators around the world.

"It was really special to know that people liked what I wrote," Bray said. "That validation was everything to me. Afterwards, I was just approached by a bunch of agents and had a bunch of meetings where I had to figure out who was best for me."

Beyond the pitch itself, Bray has used the experience to shape how they teach students at Northwest. Bray joined the University's faculty in 2024 and also worked as a freelance designer creating social media graphics, album covers and animations for a variety of clients.

Anna Case, a senior graphic design major from St. Joseph, Missouri, is enrolled in Bray's illustration class and has enjoyed learning about the process of creating "I'm a Dungeon Skeleton!"

"It's given me great insight into what I might have to do in this industry in the future," Case said. "Seeing Britain's book pitch examples and hearing about their journey in getting an agent was specifically very eye-opening."

Realizing the benefit of the sharing the professional side of the field with students has helped Bray reshape their classroom discussions.

"Seeing what professional projects outside of college look like is important," Bray said. "I'll show them my work-in-progress pages or my sketch pages, and I'll ask for their opinions on things. I really respect my students' opinions because I do consider them a part of my audience."

Bray's experience at Pitchfest gave them insight into the business side of comic art and graphic design. Now Bray uses that insight to mentor students pursuing careers in comics or graphic design.

"Whether it's making comics, working in animation, or whatever it may be, I never want students to feel like that art career is impossible," Bray said. "I feel like the biggest thing that I can do for students is to tell them, it may be difficult, but you can do it, and here's the proof."