About

Entry requires a single original doodle — any medium, any materials, submitted as a digital image or by mail — alongside a short artist's statement explaining how the artwork represents the year's theme. No prior art competition experience is required. Judging proceeds in stages: state and territory winners are selected first (54 total, one per state, D.C., Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Virgin Islands), then five National Finalists are chosen from the state winners — one per grade group — through a combination of public voting and judge evaluation. A panel of Google executives then selects one National Winner. State and territory winners receive Google hardware and recognition; National Finalists each receive a $10,000 college scholarship plus hardware; the National Winner receives a $45,000 scholarship, a $50,000 technology package for their school, and has their doodle displayed on Google.com's homepage for 24 hours — one of the largest audiences any student artwork will ever reach.

The competition's value is real but specific. The prize structure is among the most generous in student art competitions, and Google homepage placement is genuinely extraordinary exposure. The honest caveat: the public voting component in the National Finalist round means social media reach is a factor alongside artistic merit — a structural reality worth understanding before investing significant effort. For a student with strong visual art skills and a compelling response to the year's theme, the low barrier to entry and the prize scale make this one of the highest expected-value art competitions available.

Doodle for Google is the right competition for any creative student with a strong visual idea and a genuine response to the year's theme — the entry cost is zero, the prize ceiling is exceptional, and having your art displayed on Google's homepage is an experience that no other student competition can offer.