All the best designs from The Big Issue Kids’ Christmas Cover Competition

Ever seen a snowman in a face mask? Or one of Santa’s little helpers running “Elf and Safety”? What about a friendly festive dragon dropping presents over London?

No? Well look no further than this year’s cracking Christmas covers competition, where extraordinary artists from across the country put their pen (or pencils, or pritt stick, or paints) to paper

This year’s winner was five-year-old Evelyn Weston from North Yorkshire, and her winning cover is available to buy from your local vendor or our online shop now.

We received more than 500 entries in total this year and they were all so good we wanted to show the world.

“This year, more than any other, it’s been so important to feel some kind of emotional connection with one another,” said competition judge and children’s author Nadia Shireen.

“These entries made me have an instant gut reaction. All of these artworks made me smile, laugh or have a warm tingly feeling in my heart.”

Read on to see some of our favourites and don’t forget to pick up a copy of the magazine if you want to see yours in print!

Eva Leigh Banks, 11, from Blackburn

“A really brilliant drawing of Father Christmas and Rudolph,” said Nadia, “and a simple message that made me want to cry. I’m going to do my best to sprinkle some more kindness around after seeing this cover.”

Hayden Beck, 12, from Dudley

“I love that even though our snowman friend is wearing a mask, there’s still a colourful rainbow behind him reminding us all that better times are ahead. I thought this was such a bold and bright image. And yeah, it is all a bit ‘different’.”

Darcey Weave, 11, from Horsham

Hallie Bunn, 8, from Bridgenorth

Sophie Clarke, 11, from Cardiff

Henrietta Hare, 12, from Bristol

Sam Oldham, 10, from Hackney, East London

Scarlett Brindley, 11, from Blackburn

Stan Taylor-Bogue, 9, from London

Given how the school year has been disrupted so severely by lockdown and everything that’s happened, it was heartening that so many hardworking teachers got their students involved. We received hundreds of entries from schools across the country.

We’d like to give a special mention to some of them:

The 117 pupils at Erskine Stewart’s Melville Junior School (librarian Gill Peters for overseeing entries). Miss James and her Year 6 class at St Mary’s in Cardiff, Wellfield Middle School in Whitley Bay, Henley Green Primary School in Coventry, Burnfoot Community School in Hawick, The Orion Primary School in London, Ashton First School in Evesham, Hurstpierpoint Prep School in West Sussex and Gullane Primary School.

Apologies if we haven’t had space to mention you but rest
assured all the pictures we received were amazing and you are a credit to your schools and communities!

See every single entry in the video below or in this week’s magazine.