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.
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.”
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.”