Doodle4Google 2015

What is Doodle4Google 2015?

Doodle 4 Google, also stylized Doodle4Google, is an annual competition held by Google to have children create a logo that will be featured on the Google homepage. Google features logos on their homepage, usually for public holidays. In the past, events such as the beginning of spring, the anniversary of understanding DNA, or the invention of the laser have been celebrated. The original Google "doodle" was in 1999 when Sergey Brin and Lawrence E. Page were attending the Burning Man Festival, to show that they were away if the systems were to crash.

Doodles are the spontaneous changes that are made to the Google logo in celebration of holidays, anniversaries and the lives of famous artists, pioneers and scientists who have helped shape history.

Where did the idea for doodles come from?

In 1998 Larry and Sergey, Google’s founders, placed a stick figure drawing behind the second ‘o’ in the word Google as a message to users that they were “out of the office” attending a music and art festival. From there the idea of decorating our logo to mark cultural moments was born. Users really enjoyed this quirky change to the clean Google homepage. As a result a turkey was added on Thanksgiving in 1998, two pumpkins for the ‘o’s appeared for Halloween in October of 1999 as well as a few others.

After two years of playing around with the logo on special occasions, Larry and Sergey asked webmaster Dennis Hwang to create a doodle for Bastille Day in France. Soon after he was appointed the chief doodler and doodles became more frequent occurrences on the homepage. Users started seeing doodles for more holidays and starting in 2003 doodles for people’s birthdays. The first being Monet in 2001, Picasso in 2002 and then Michelangelo and Albert Einstein six months later. Since then the amount of doodles and the variety of subjects have grown to celebrate a much wider array of events, holidays, anniversaries and birthdays of some of history’s greats.

The aesthetic design of doodles has developed as the frequency increased and subject matter widened. What started as basic drawings has now grown into elaborate and detailed illustrations. In the past few years some doodles have started to become interactive incorporating HTML5 Canvas and JavaScript. Mediums have expanded to digital animation, video, photography, set design, origami, growing flowers and carving pumpkins! What’s next? Only time will tell!

Who can apply for this scholarship ?

The Doodle 4 Google Contest (“Contest”) is open to Indian resident students in Standards 1 to 10 of any school in India, who have obtained their parents' and/or legal guardians' and/or school teachers permission to enter and whose parents and/or legal guardians and/or school teachers consent to be bound by these Official Rules (“Rules”) in their own right and on behalf of the entrant. The Rules consist of the terms and conditions on this page and the Entry Form. The opening date for receipt of entries by Google from participants is 7th September 2015 and the closing date for receipt of entries by Google is extended to 13th October 2015, midnight (IST). Only one doodle per Entrant is allowed. In the case of duplicate or multiple entries from the same Entrant, then the first entry to arrive at the designated submission address (as determined by the "received by" date) will be accepted as the entry into the Contest. At the time of submission of a Doodle, each Entrant must: (i) be an Indian citizen (e.g., must be able to show proof of legal permanent residence, if asked for); (ii) be enrolled in an Indian School; (iii) have obtained his or her parents’ or legal guardians’ or school teachers prior permission and have agreed to be bound by these Rules. Employees, interns, contractors, and official office-holders, as well as their immediate families, of Google, its affiliates, and any representatives or agencies of Google or other persons professionally connected with the Contest are not eligible to participate. The National Winner and the three (3) National Finalists from previous years’ Contests are eligible to enter but are not eligible to receive the National Winner’s or National Finalist’s prizes in this year’s Contest.

How can you apply ?

To enter the Contest, visit the Contest website located at www.google.co.in/doodle4google/ (“Contest Site”) during the Contest Period and follow the instructions that appear on the two-page official entry form (“Entry Form”) for: (a) submitting a Doodle that reflects Entrant’s creative interpretation of the Google logo as it relates to the Contest theme “If I could create something for India, it would be…” (“Doodle”); (b) completing all information on the second page of the Entry Form before submitting; and (c) submitting a supporting statement of fifty (50) words or less and a title for Entrant’s Doodle that is based upon the Contest theme. The Doodle and supporting statement must meet the “Doodle Requirements,” described below.

Once the Entry Form is fully completed, it should be printed on a light colored 8.5”X11” sheet of paper and signed by a parent/legal guardian.

To submit an entry in hard-copy form, the entry must be mailed in an envelope (packaged carefully so it won’t be damaged) with proper postage affixed, to the following mailing address:

Doodle4Google 2015
DDB Mudra Group,
"Mudra House",
Opp. Grand Hyatt,
Santacruz (E),
Mumbai 400055

Please note this form of entry is in addition to the other forms of entry to the Contest. Google is not responsible for illegible or incorrectly submitted entries.

Entries received without a completed Entry Form or without a parent’s or legal guardian’s or teachers signature will be disqualified.

FAQs

About the competition

What is the “Doodle 4 Google” competition?

Doodle 4 Google is a competition open to all students from Class 1 to Class 10 in India. Entrants are invited to create their own Google doodle based on the theme "If I could create something for India, I will...".

Why is Google doing this competition?

Doodles are meant to surprise and delight people when they visit the Google homepage. Who better to surprise and delight than talented and creative young artists! Google would not exist today if it weren’t for creativity, passion, and imagination so we love to celebrate and promote these values in our younger users.

Is this the first time you’ve done Doodle 4 Google?

No, they have been doing this since 2009 in India.

How can I submit a doodle

See all the instructions in the submit page.

Entry information

Who is allowed to submit artwork on behalf of the student?

Submissions from parents and teachers are welcome. They simply ask that the entry is accompanied by a completed official entry form signed by the student’s parent, guardian or teacher. Parents are encouraged to submit their children’s work directly for the contest. If you are a parent, they ask that you check with your child’s school first to see if they are participating, to avoid duplicate entries. Your child must be enrolled in an Indian school. Entries for the competition are classified into 3 class groups:

1) Class 1-3

2) Class 4-6

3) Class 7-10.

Is there a limit to how many doodles a school or Youth reach group can submit?

There is no limit to how many doodles each school, after school program or parent can submit. However, please remember they only accept one original doodle per student.

What happens if two doodles are submitted from the same student?

They can only accept one doodle per student. Our judging platform will verify that each doodle submitted is in fact a unique entry. If they receive two entries from the same student, they will accept the doodle that was received first. Any other entries from the same student will be disqualified. They ask that all parents check in with their child’s school first before submitting to avoid duplicative efforts.

Do you have to be a Indian citizen to participate?

At the time of submitting the doodle, the student must be an Indian citizen enrolled in an Indian school and lives in India. He or she must also obtain their parents’, legal guardians’ or teachers prior permission to compete in the contest via a signed entry form.

How do parents, teachers or after school program representatives get their children or students involved?

It’s simple! Just download the entry form here on the site, print it out, and let the creative juices flow. There’s no right or wrong way to doodle, the more creative and original the better. At this point all doodles must be 2 dimensional, though. Visit their "Classroom Activities" page for tips on how to host a doodling session as well.

How long do I have to submit my child or student’s doodle?

The contest launched on September 7, 2015. Doodle submission – along with a completed entry form signed by a parent, guardian or teacher – are due on October 13, 2015.

Can i just draw on a blank 8.5x11 sheet of paper?

Unfortunately, no. The doodle must be a completed on the downloaded template.

I’d like to use Photoshop for my entry. Is that possible?

Yes, you can use Photoshop. Create your doodle in a new document 1894 pixels high by 2960 pixels wide at 300 dpi. When you are finished, simply open the second page of the PDF in Photoshop and use it as the background layer for a new document and paste your digital doodle in as a second layer. If necessary, move and resize your doodle to fit inside the doodle box. Don’t change the size of the document from the original PDF, and you should be able to print it, and then fill in the few fields on that page by hand. Hand written entries will be accepted.

FOR TEACHERS: If you’d like to have your class participate using Photoshop, you can create a document with the background pasted in for your students to use as their canvas.

What materials are acceptable to be used on the doodle?

Eligible Doodles must be two-dimensional and scannable. This includes any artistic material that will remain flat on the page. This could include: paint, pencils, crayons, markers, chalk, pastels, charcoal, or cray-pas. Computer-generated images are also accepted. This means that any materials that may cause the image to be three-dimensional will not be accepted. This may include, but is not limited to, materials such as puff paint, stickers, pipe cleaners, macaroni, sequins, glitter, beads, tissue paper, popsicle sticks, cotton balls, and pom-poms.

Do I have to use plain white paper to print out the entry form and draw my doodle?

While white paper is best, you can utilize other light-colored papers. Papers with light patterns are ok too – just be sure your Doodle is clear and the pattern doesn’t interfere. You can also use a thicker paper stock if you like, but it must be paper, not cardboard or foam board.

Judging & Selection Process

How's the contest judged?

Doodles will be grouped by the student's class. Class groups are broken down as:

Class 1 - 3

Class 4 - 6

Class 7 - 10

Judging process

I. A group of 12 Finalists (4 from each Standard Group) will be announced based on a selection by a panel consisting of independent judges.

II. The 12 finalists' Google Doodles will be posted on the website on October 23, 2015. One winner per age group will be selected based on public voting. Each person may cast one vote for each class group.

III. The final overall National Winner will be chosen from among the 3 Standard Group Winners. National Winner's Google Doodle will be displayed on the Google India homepage (www.google.co.in) for one day on 14th November, 2015.

What criteria will be used to select the winning doodle?

To narrow the entries down to the top Winners, eligible doodles are judged by Google and our “Guest Judges” against the following criteria:

Artistic merit: drawing skills and use of color;
Creativity and originality: considering the representation of the Contest theme “If I could create something for India, it would be…”, and use of the Google logo, as well as the unique and novel approach to the Doodle;
Communication of the Contest theme in both the drawing and supporting statement - how well the Entrant explains what “If I could create something for India, it would be…” represents in the supporting statement and drawing;
Adherence to the Doodle Requirements and Contest Rules.

Is the public involved in the voting process?

Yes. The public will be invited to vote online from October 23, 2015 to November 9, 2015. They will be asked to select their favorite doodles, one from each age group.

How did you decide to break down the class groups?

We broke down the age groups differently to allow for more even distribution among groups. This way, a child who is in the first class, for example, competes against roughly the same level of skill as with other contestants in that group. Also, The final overall National Winner will be chosen from among the 3 Standard Group Winners so all groups should have an equal chance to win.

Terms and Conditions

Judging and prizes

Class Groups

Doodles will be grouped by the student's class. Class groups are broken down as:

Class 1 - 3
Class 4 - 6
Class 7 - 10

Judging process

I. A group of 12 Finalists (4 from each Standard Group) will be announced based on a selection by a panel consisting of independent judges.

III. The final overall National Winner will be chosen from among the 3 Standard Group Winners. The winning doodle will be displayed on the Google India homepage for 24 hours on children's day.

Competition levels & prizes

All 12 finalists will receive:

Invitation to the award ceremony
Certificate of achievement
A Chromebook laptop
Doodle will be publicly displayed in a gallery on the website www.google.co.in/doodle4google/

National winner will recieve:

Medal awarded by Google
Invitation to the award ceremony
A Chromebook laptop
National Winner's Google Doodle will be displayed on the Google India homepage on 14th November 2015

Judging Criteria

Doodles will be judged based on the following three criteria:

Artistic Merit - drawing skills and use of color;
Creativity and originality - considering the representation of the Contest theme “If I could create something for India, it would be…”, and use of the Google logo, as well as the unique and novel approach to the Doodle;
Theme Communication - How clearly the competition theme is expressed in both the artwork and the written statement.

Disqualifications

Doodles will be disqualified if copyrighted or trademarked images and logos are used. Examples of this would be the Nike “swoosh” or popular characters from shows, movies and books.

Only one application per student or learner please. If more than one is submitted only the first will be considered and those thereafter will be disqualified.

Doodle Requirements: The Doodle and supporting statement must meet the following criteria (“Doodle Requirements”):

They must not be derogatory, offensive, threatening, defamatory, disparaging, libelous or contain any content that is inappropriate, indecent, sexual, profane, tortuous, slanderous, discriminatory in any way, or that promotes hatred or harm against any group or person, or otherwise does not comply with the theme and spirit of the Contest.
They must not contain content, material or any element that is unlawful, or otherwise in violation of or contrary to all applicable national, state, or local laws and regulations. Please note that under relevant laws of India, use of the National Flag, and other national symbols such as the Ashoka Chakra and the pictorial representation of national personalities such as Mahatma Gandhi, Prime Minister of India etc for certain purposes including as part of a corporate logo, are not permitted.
They must not contain any content, material or element that displays any third party advertising, slogan, logo, trademark or otherwise indicates a sponsorship or endorsement by a third party, commercial entity or that is not within the spirit of the Contest, as determined by Sponsor, in its sole discretion.
They must be original, unpublished works that does not contain, incorporate or otherwise use any content, material or element that is owned by a third party or entity.
They cannot contain any content, element, or material that violates a third party’s publicity, privacy or intellectual property rights.
The Doodle is not the subject of any actual or threatened litigation or claim.
The Entrant does not include any disparaging remarks relating to the Sponsor or a third party.
The Doodle is two-dimensional and scannable.

During the Contest Period, the Sponsor, its agents and/or the Judges (defined below) will be evaluating the Doodles and supporting statements to ensure that they meet the Doodle Requirements. The Sponsor reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to disqualify any Entrant who submits a Doodle and supporting statement that does not meet the Doodle Requirements. Incomplete entries or entries not complying with these Rules are subject to disqualification.

Judging and Selection of Winners: Each Doodle will be evaluated and scored based on the following “Criteria”:

Artistic merit - drawing skills and use of color;
Creativity and originality - considering the representation of the Contest theme “If I could create something for India, it would be…”, and use of the Google logo, as well as the unique and novel approach to the Doodle;
Communication of the Contest theme in both the drawing and supporting statement - how well the Entrant explains what “If I could create something for India, it would be…” represents in the supporting statement and drawing;
Adherence to the Doodle Requirements and these Rules.

Google has hired third-party administrator DDB Mudra Group to help manage submissions. DDB Mudra Group is an independent, third-party marketing services organization retained by Google to assist with the administration of this Contest. At times during the Contest, Agencies representative may contact an Entrant for customer service purposes. By entering, all participants agree to receive phone calls and emails from Agency..

Submissions will be divided into three (3) groups in Standards 1 to 10 divided in the following groups (i) Standard 1- 3 (ii) Standard 4-6 and (iii) Standard 7-10, each a "Standard Group").

A group of 12 Finalists (4 from each Standard Group) will be announced based on a selection by a panel consisting of independent judges, based on which Google Doodles they think are the best representations of the theme "If I could create something for India, it would be…". The 12 Finalists will be notified directly on or after 23th October 2015.

At the National Final stage the 12 Finalists will be invited to attend an awards ceremony on a date and at a location to be determined by Google (“Awards Ceremony”). Online public voting opens from 23th October 2015 to 9th November 2015 upto 12 noon IST to determine 3 Winners (one from each Standard Group). The final overall National Winner will be chosen from among the 3 Standard Group Winners and will be announced on or after 13th November 2015.

Tie-breaker: In the event of a tie at any level of judging, the judges will reevaluate the tied Doodles according to the Criteria until the tie is broken. The tied Doodles will be put up for a re-vote amongst the judges at the respective level until the tie is broken.

Decisions of the judges are final and binding. In the event there are not enough eligible entries, not all prizes will be awarded. If a potential winner is unable for whatever reason to accept his or her prize, then Google reserves the right to award the prize to another entrant. Notification of Finalists and Winners: Becoming a finalist is subject to validation and verification of eligibility and compliance with all the terms and conditions set forth in these Rules. If a potential finalist or winner is disqualified for any reason, the Doodle that received the next highest total score will be chosen as the potential finalist or winner. The potential finalist(s) and winner(s) will be selected and notified by telephone and/or email, at Sponsor’s discretion. If a potential finalist/winner does not respond to the notification attempt within three (3) days from the first notification attempt, then such potential finalist/winner may be disqualified and an alternate potential finalist/winner will be selected from among all eligible entries received based on the judging Criteria described herein.

Important documents

d4g-entry-form-7905.pdf

Important Links

Original website