Doodling for Dollars

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Lauren Barack -- School Library Journal, 2/18/2008 5:55:00 AM

Kids are being challenged to draw a new logo for Google’s main page that answers the question, “What if…?” The hope is that students will be inspired to craft ideas that come from their imagination, as in “What if… we could travel to Saturn?” or “What if… we stopped global warming?”

The winning doodle will earn a $10,000 college scholarship for its creator and a $25,000 technology grant for the student’s school. The design will also be viewed by a global audience on Google’s home page.

The Mountain View, CA-based technology company has a history of delighting users with whimsical adaptations of its logo. Created by Google Webmaster Dennis Hwang, the illustrations dovetail with holidays and events, ranging from Einstein’s birthday to St. Patrick’s Day. Google hopes a new generation of doodlers can supplement Hwang’s designs.

Schools are invited to submit up to six entries, which can be crafted using a variety of tools from computer software to a scribbler’s core armory: pencil and paper. Educators must first register their school online by March 28. Final entries must be mailed to Google and postmarked by April 12.

Students will be judged in four different brackets, depending on their grade—so kindergartners won’t be up against graphic designers of high school age. Judges, to be selected by Google, will whittle submitted entries down to four—with the public helping to select the final winner. Who says daydreaming and doodling don’t pay?