Google India announces Doodle 4 Google contest

MUMBAI, INDIA: Google has always been famous for its doodles. Actually it is these doodles, which keep on changing according to the specialty of the day, like commemoration of scientific and artistic achievements, historic or seasonal events, and other special occasions like Independence Day, Children's Day etc, that gives a fresh visual appeal to the search engine's homepage.

These "doodles" appearing on some special days teach you something new about a day, event or occasion whenever you happen to stumble upon them.

And to take that visual possibility to a new dimension, Google India has today announced 'Doodle 4 Google', its first ever ‘doodling’ competition in India, to give school students in India a chance to draw on the most exciting canvas in the world, by creating a doodle for the Google India homepage.

The theme of this competition is "My India". Students have to create a doodle for Google by giving a pictorial depiction of what India means to them. The winning doodle will be displayed on Google home page, www.google.co.in, on Children’s Day, November 14, 2009. The final winner will also win a laptop and a technology grant of Rs.1,00,000 for his/her school.

Announcing the launch of the Doodle 4 Google competition, Arvind Desikan, head of Consumer Marketing, Google, said, creativity, innovation, and a sense of fun are at the heart of Google's culture and beliefs.

“Through Doodle 4 Google, we hope to celebrate the immense creative talent and richness of ideas of students across the country. We are delighted to be able to give school students across India the opportunity to doodle for Google."

The competition is open to all students between the 1st and the 10th standards, studying in any school in India, said a press release. Students can register online at www.google.co.in/doodle4google, where they will also find all the information needed to take part in the contest. Entries will be judged in 3 categories: (a) 1st-3rd standards (b) 4th - 6th standards, and (c) 7th - 10th standards.

The judging panel will include faculty and students of the National Institute of Design (NID), Ahmedabad, which is Doodle 4 Google partner institute; renowned cartoonist N. Ponnappa and young emerging Indian artist Raghava K.K.

Pradyumna Vyas, director of the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad said, "We are happy to collaborate with Google's Doodle 4 Google initiative, and we are certain that it will encourage the creative art and design talent of young students all across India, many of whom may be the finest design minds of the future."

From among all the entries received, 45 of the best doodles will be chosen by the judges and displayed on the Doodle 4 Google website, where people can vote for their favorite doodle in each of the three age-categories, based on the class in which a participant is studying.

The final winner will be decided by Google's original doodler and webmaster, Dennis Hwang, who created Google's first doodles in 2000, and continues to create them even today.