Big Issue’s 100 Changemakers of 2026: Media and campaigns

Giving a platform for underrepresented voices, these campaigners know that getting your message across takes grit and tenacity.

Every year Big Issue compiles a list of 100 organisations and people who are bringing change to their community. It’s a chance to celebrate the agenda-setting activists and grassroots groundbreakers delivering change.

Headhere to see the full Big Issue 100 Changemakers list

Everyone Hates Elon 

This campaigning collective uses satire, guerrilla ads and viral stunts to challenge billionaire influence over politics, media and public life. They targets figures like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos, arguing that extreme wealth fuels inequality while distracting the public with scapegoats and culture wars.

Through high-impact adverts, banner drops and headline-grabbing interventions, they have reached audiences in the millions and raised over £100,000 for refugee, anti-racism and LGBT+ causes. By turning outrage into collective action, they help ordinary people push back.  

Tigz Rice 

Photographer who uses portraiture to challenge outdated beauty standards and celebrate bodies in all their complexity. With a community of more than 250,000 followers, she shares practical tools and honest conversations that encourage body acceptance and self-worth beyond external validation. Her free 25-part boudoir posing guide has helped thousands feel more confident in front of the camera. Rice’s work speaks directly to the real-world impact of body image pressure on mental health, offering representation, dignity and a more inclusive view of what beauty looks like. 

End Child Poverty Coalition 

End Child Poverty Coalition has spent years bringing together a network of organisations to push for urgent action to reduce child poverty. Over the last four years it led a national campaign to end the two-child benefit cap, helping to keep the issue at the centre of public debate until the government committed to scrapping the policy. The coalition continues to press ministers to go further, arguing that no child in the UK should grow up in poverty. 

Ismail Kaji 

For nearly three decades, Kaji has worked to ensure people with a learning disability are seen, heard and included in the decisions that shape their lives. As Mencap’s parliamentary and government engagement officer, he uses campaigning and direct engagement with policymakers to push for practical change. He has given evidence on making parliament more accessible, and his work on voting helped influence updated guidance. Inside Mencap, he champions lived experience in national campaigns. 

BlackNews.UK

This vital independent platform exists to amplify black voices in the UK, challenging historic underrepresentation in mainstream media. Covering politics, culture and social justice, it highlights both everyday realities and systemic inequalities, helping to counter stereotypes and spark public debate. The outlet also champions grassroots movements, community-led projects and black-owned businesses, encouraging participation and mutual support. By providing publishing space for initiatives such as BME Volunteers CIC, it strengthens the voluntary and charitable sector while promoting a fairer, more inclusive media landscape. 

Read more:

• Why Wates are the perfect partners for the Big Issue 100 Changemakers of 2026

Coram Voices in Action Ambassadors 

Coram’s Voices in Action Ambassadors are 16- to 25-year-olds campaigning to change how schools respond to exclusion. In just 18 months, they’ve delivered peer education sessions, co-produced rights-based films and created Excluded but not Unheard, a powerful zine of poetry and prose. 

They’ve also advised sector leaders and government, including speaking at a ministerial roundtable with school standards minister Georgia Gould. With exclusions rising and vulnerable pupils disproportionately affected, the ambassadors are turning personal experience into policy influence, hope and practical support for others facing the same barriers. 

Christopher Egan 

Driven by lived experience, Egan is a powerful advocate for men who have experienced sexual harm, working to break the silence, stigma and isolation that so often surrounds abuse. After surviving years of trauma in adolescence, he found specialist support through We Are Survivors and later became the service’s lived experience lead, helping others rebuild their lives. He now works with the media, parliamentarians and local networks to ensure male survivors are heard and believed, and is launching the Loud Voices project in 2026 to amplify survivor stories across research and public debate.  

Dogs Trust 

Nominated by Nathan Sykes from The Wanted 

At the heart of Dogs Trust is a powerful use of storytelling to change attitudes and drive action, sharing the rescue, rehabilitation and rehoming journeys of around 11,000 dogs each year. As Nathan Sykes nominated: “Having spent time at rehoming centres, you meet the most beautiful little angels… They care and the team is really special.” Beyond rehoming, Dogs Trust campaigns for better welfare and supports owners in crisis via Together Through Homelessness, helping people keep their dogs while accessing accommodation and vital services. Its work highlights the life-changing bond between people and their dogs. 

Emily Hustwick 

Based in York, Hustwick uses her platform to make autism and chronic illness more visible, sharing honest, affirming content that promotes acceptance and challenges stigma. Alongside her online advocacy, she runs a counselling and support service for autistic people, helping clients navigate life with greater confidence and independence. She also creates practical communication and health tools via her Etsy shop, supporting people to express their needs in real-world settings. Hustwick’s work is grounded in community too, volunteering weekly with Age UK while continuing to amplify underheard voices online.  

The Power of Voice Research Advisory Group 

Rooted in Article 12 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Power of Voice Research Advisory Group is helping children in Wales speak directly to decision-makers about poverty and its impact. As part of Save the Children’s Power of Voice project, a group of 12 young people aged 11 to 16 from Ferndale Community School co-designed research activities, shaped key messages and led events with policymakers. They have presented findings in Cardiff and at Senedd Cymru, challenging stigma and pushing for fairer systems that respect children’s agency, opportunities and right to be heard. 

Do you have a story to tell or opinions to share about this? Get in touch and tell us more. 

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