Schools

Howard County Student Doodles 4 Google

Lauren Shen's doodle is a state finalist in the national Doodle 4 Google contest.

You never know what you’ll find if you point your browser to Google’s home page. On May 23rd it might be a doodle from a Howard County seventh grader.

Burleigh Manor’s Lauren Shen is the Maryland finalist in the Web giant’s Doodle 4 Google contest, which gives young artists from around the country a chance to showcase their artistic skills on the Google home page. 

Google asked entrants to re-work the company's recognizable logo to depict it as their “best day ever.” Shen's drawing depicted Travel to Taiwan

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“The day I arrived in Taiwan was my best day ever,” Shen wrote.

More than 130,000 students, from kindergarten through 12th grade submitted a Doodle of their best day. Shen was chosen as one of 50 state finalists.

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Five national finalists will be named on May 22; of those, one will will be chosen as the national winner and will have his or her doodle splashed across the Google home page on May 23rd for 24 hours.

“The goal of Doodle 4 Google is to give students a blank canvas but to spark their curiosity with a broad theme,” according to the Doodle FAQ. This is the sixth year that the contest has run in the United States.

To vote for your favorite Doodle, visit the Doodles for Google website before 2 p.m. May 10. One student from each age group will be named a national finalist and win a $5,000 college scholarship.

There will also be an exhibition, hosted in partnership with the American Museum of Natural History, showcasing each of the 50 state winners. The exhibition, in New York City, will run through July 14. 

The overall winner will get a $30,000 college scholarship and a $50,000 technology grant for their school. 

Take a look at all of the submitted Doodles online. Also, check out a gallery of Doodles that Google has put on its website through the years. Including (remember?) the Google! Beta doodle.

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This article has been edited to correct the spelling of Lauren Shen's name.


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