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9 year-old’s girls drawing of a welcoming front door is chosen as Christmas cover for Big Issue magazine
The Big Issue has announced the winner of their annual kids’ competition to design one of their festive magazine covers.
The cover was designed by Lucy Norris, aged 9, from Ware, in Hertfordshire.
Over 1,000 entries were made this year for the annual contest run by the magazine, which is sold to help by vendors to lift themselves out of poverty.
Judges this year were Big Issue UK editor Paul McNamee, Anna Bassi, editor of The Week Junior magazine, and children’s author Cressida Cowell.
McNamee said: “There was a simple brief this year. We asked that entries touched on the theme of Welcome, wherever that took the entries. And it brought us right to the door of nine year old Lucy Norris. A bright door that offers simple relief – where the homeless are welcome; where the homeless become homed. It’s an idea that makes the heart sing.”
He added: “Each of the 1100 plus entries from right across Britain has been lovingly crafted, with felt tips and glitter and pencils and bits of felt and boundless, unquenchable imagination and enthusiasm. Increasingly we find that letters arrive from teachers and youth leaders explaining how the creation became a class activity that sparked debate about the realities of Christmas for people who go without.”
Cowell said of the winning entry: “I love the big pink door, by Lucy Norris, because it's bright and festive and the Homeless with the Less crossed out is a lovely neat graphic illustration of an idea.”
Winner Lucy said: “I feel gobsmacked, amazed and very happy. When Mum told me the theme was ‘welcome’ I thought about the message welcome home. I wasn’t sure how to make it Christmassy, so I looked through old Christmas cards and saw the front door with a wreath hanging on it.
“I’d like to put across the message that nobody should be homeless, but especially not at Christmas time, which is meant to be a happy time. That’s why I crossed out the ‘less’ – because everyone should be able to feel like they have a home.
“It took me two days to do the finished drawing. I love drawing, I like to draw landscapes best.”
Mum, Emma, says her and dad, Oliver, and sister Abbie are all very proud of Lucy.
“We were all surprised but very pleased and proud. Lucy hadn’t entered the Big Issue competition before, but she spotted it in the magazine I was reading. She doesn’t need any encouragement to draw! Especially if it delays having to do her maths homework!”
And Emma adds that she has local vendor Maria to thank for prompting her to encourage Lucy to enter.
“Our local vendor Maria who sells outside Tesco in Ware reminded me about it because she knows I have two girls, one who loves to draw!”
The Big Issue, with Lucy’s front cover, is now available to buy from across the UK for £3.