725

The 2024 Kids Cover Competition

We have a winner! This year’s Kids Cover Competition received a record number of entries, and our absolute fave was designed by 12-year-old Frankie Kelly from Newcastle: a sunny, funny vision of Santa’s summer holidays. “I thought it would be really cool to combine the Australian lifestyle with Christmas, to create a scene on the beach,” she says of her stunning artwork. “I’m really into pop art and really bright and colourful pieces, and I wanted to use a few different mediums.”

Buy Magazine

Working For Home: A Big Return To Street Selling For The Big Issue Vendors

As Australia emerges from pandemic lockdown, The Big Issue vendors are returning to city streets across Australia following a three-month hiatus.

The Big Issue has launched a new campaign to announce that it’s back to business for vendors, giving Australians every reason to buy a copy of the magazine for themselves from vendors who are proudly selling the magazine to earn their way out of homelessness, disadvantage and marginalisation.

For vendors, working for The Big Issue means much more than just earning an income – it’s a source of social inclusion, community, pride and confidence. In March of this year, for the first time in The Big Issue’s 24-year history, vendors were not able to sell the magazine due to COVID-19 restrictions.

The Working For Home campaign makes a bold and simple statement, playing off a phrase that has become all too common to the Australian workforce since the coronavirus restrictions were imposed. Created by advertising agency Town Square, the campaign encourages those who have been working from home during the pandemic to consider the impact COVID-19 has had on some of the most disadvantaged in our community, and those who are not able to work from home.

Working For Home is an optimistic, forward-looking campaign, reminding us that The Big Issue vendors are working hard every day to support themselves. Each self-employed Big Issue vendor buys copies of the fortnightly magazine for half the cover price and retains the retail margin as their income.

They are back, proudly working their way towards a brighter future – and they need our support to spread the word.

“It has been a very challenging period for those living on the margins, with the inability to work and earn an income having a big impact on some of the most disadvantaged in our community,” The Big Issue CEO Steven Persson said.

“We are so pleased to welcome our vendors back to street selling – our vendors have been sorely missed over the past few months.

“Every magazine sold represents countless opportunities for people experiencing homelessness and disadvantage to earn an income and connect with their community.”