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 teach anyone anything, it would be...".
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, we 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. We 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, we 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 we only accept one original doodle per student.
What happens if two doodles are submitted from the same student?
We can only accept one doodle per student. Our judging platform will verify that each doodle submitted is in fact a unique entry. If we receive two entries from the same student, we will accept the doodle that was received first. Any other entries from the same student will be disqualified. We 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 our 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 5, 2016. Doodle submission – along with a completed entry form signed by a parent, guardian or teacher – are due on October 21, 2016.
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
- A group of 12 Finalists (4 from each Standard Group) will be announced based on a selection by a panel consisting of independent judges.
- The 12 finalists' Google Doodles will be posted on the website on November 01, 2016. One winner per age group will be selected based on public voting. Each person may cast one vote for each class group.
- 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, 2016.
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 teach anyone anything, it would be...", and use of the Google logo, as well as the unique and novel approach to the Doodle.
- Theme Communication - Communication of the Contest theme in both the drawing and supporting statement - how well the Entrant explains what "If I could teach anyone anything, 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 November 01, 2016 to November 10, 2016. 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.
