Introducing our 2017 kids’ cover competition winner – well done Martin!

Each year, the decision gets more difficult. This time round we had over 1,000 incredible entries. In truth, many of them could have won, but we had to find just one. And after an agonising judging process we can finally announce this year’s winner of The Big Issue Kids’ Christmas Cover Competition: Martin Wellstead, aged six, from Wimborne, Dorset.

Martin's wonderful festive cover design.

When Martin heard that we loved his jolly snowman and it will be gracing our cover across the UK this week, he beamed: “It’s amazing to win the competition! I looked at last year’s winner and the winner from the year before, before deciding what to draw and I thought that you guys needed a snowman so that is what I wanted to give you this year. It took me about three hours to draw my cover.

“I’m really interested in art and I like to draw my favourite stuff and the things I like, like Power Rangers, Batman and Michael Jackson.

“I’ll be going out to get lots of copies as soon as I can.”

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Last year's Christmas cover winner, Martin Wellstead with his winning design

His dad Matthew is understandably proud. “My wife and I are really proud that Martin’s Christmas snowman has been selected as the winning entry,” he said. “Martin was thrilled to win. He spent a long time after school adding extra details to it whilst listening to Christmas music! We hope the readers enjoy the picture and that it helps with the sales.”

Big Issue editor Paul McNamee with Martin's winning design.

The Big Issue editor felt something simple struck with Martin’s picture. “It just said ‘Joy!’,” remarked Paul McNamee. “It lifts your spirits and makes you smile, simply and honestly. That feels very timely right now!”

It lifts your spirits and makes you smile, simply and honestly

Peter Usborne of Usborne Publishing, which is providing bundles of their fantastic kids’ books to our winners, said: “We always love seeing The Big Issue Christmas Kids’ Cover, and were thrilled to be asked to support the competition with prizes this year. Congratulations to all those involved.”

Some of the 1000+ entries for our kids Christmas cover competition.

It was incredibly difficult to choose just one winner out of more than 1000 amazing entries we received this year. From Monday, look out for more on our selection of runners-up that we wanted to give special mentions to.