Monday, August 24, 2009

Doodle4Google - My India

Google frequently places Doodles on their homepage - the drawings designed through Google Logo and these are created by Google Webmaster Dennis Hwang. A left hander, Dennis started creating Doodles for Google Homepage to celebrate and mark world wide events since 2000 and I have been following the events most of the time.

For US children, Google held a competition 'What I wish for the World' earlier with amazing entries on topics like World Peace, Spread Literacy, Save Energy, Be Friendly nations, Stop War, Recycle the future, healthy world, etc and 400 finalists were chosen. You can find the winner 2009 here for 'What I wish for the World' contest (state finalists here). The 2008 theme for Doodle4Google was 'What if...?' and you can have a glimpse into the regional winners here.

Doodle 4 Google is all about fun creating Doodles blend with creativity. Google now calls for children from India to create Doodles 4 Googles on the theme 'My India' and project your dream India - show your patriotism. Google calls for entries showing love for your country - what it means to you when you represent in a Doodle. Here is Info for Students and Schools. You can draw on themes related to Places, literature, culture, India's achievements, Bollywood - just about anything about India. Follow the Templates and sample doodles - tips to create your doodles here, create your very own Doodle 4 Google and Register here. Give a title for your doodle (a maximum of 5-6 words) and a supporting statement (a maximum of 100 words). Based on your Google doodle, you should explain what India means to you and what you have represented in your doodle. Once done, Submit your entries here online or send to postal address in A4 size paper to reach before 30th September 2009.

Doodle 4 Google,Google India Pvt. Ltd.
No. 3, RMZ Infinity - Tower E
Old Madras Road
4th and 5th Floors
Bangalore, 560 016

The best doodles will be voted on by a panel of judges as well as by the Indian public, and the winning doodle will be featured on the Google India homepage for a day, to be viewed by millions of people. The final winner will also win his or her very own laptop (and a technology grant for their school)!

The finalists will be announced on 21st October 2009 and online Public Voting will be made from 21st October 2009 to 31st October 2009. Award ceremony and National winner will be announced in November.

Tips from Dennis Hwang:
* Make sure your design complements the shape of the letters in the Google logo, but don't let that restrict your creativity.
* Experiment with different media to see which one works best for your design (you can even create your doodle on your PC).
* Don't over-complicate your design – simpler images often have the most impact.
* Remember that your design could end up on the Google homepage, so imagine how it will look on screen.
* Remember to use colour well and think about how it interacts with a white background.
* Avoid commercial or copyrighted images.
* Think outside the box – try to create a doodle that's different from your classmates and hasn't been done before.
* Feel free to use the space behind and in front of the Google letters, but try to maintain your design's overall balance.
* Have fun! "Doodle 4 Google" is all about creativity and enjoying designing fun things.

So, encourage kids to participate. Follow Tips from Dennis here and see him in action on how to make Doodles on Kidsfreesouls You Tube Video Here.

Btw, you can send your drawings/paintings here on Kidsfreesouls pasteboard too.

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