Google's homepage often features Google Doodles, the search titan's series of drawings based on the company's logo, which celebrates a noteworthy event or person. On October 19, Monday, the yearly "Doodle 4 Google" drawing competition started accepting entries from kindergarten to 12th grade students in the United States , giving kids and teens a chance to win a $30,000 college scholarship, a $50,000 grant for his or her school, and a trip to Google's headquarters in Mountain View, California to meet the Doodle team in person.
Most of Google's Doodles are designed in-house. However, one exception is the yearly drawing contest for children.
The theme of this year's Doodle 4 Google competition is "What makes me...me." Future college graduates can use any type of art material to show the source of their hopes and dreams, and are advised to choose a medium that creates a unique artistic work.
From Feb. 8 to 22, 2016, the U.S. public will get to cast a vote for their favorite of the 53 Doodle finalists. On March 28, a special panel of Google employees will choose one finalist from each of the grade groups, and then announce the national winner, according to CNET.
The top Google Doodle design will be showcased for one day on the company's website. It gets millions of views daily.
Children and teenagers participating in the Doodle 4 Google artistic competition must submit their entries by Dec. 7, 2015, according to Engadget. Besides appreciating their kids' artistic creations, due to the rising cost of college tuition saving some big bucks through the $30,000 college scholarship for their son's or daughter's masterpiece would be music to their ears.
Google first started experimenting with Doodles that tweaked the company logo when it added a turkey for Thanksgiving in 1998, and then two pumpkins for the pair of o's in 1999.
A few years later Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin asked webmaster Dennis Hwang to make a doodle for France's Bastille Day (National Day celebrating a 1789 event). He soon became Google's chief doodler and Doodles became a more regular feature on the company's home page.
This video shows all the Google Doodles for the 2012 Summer Olympics: