Google chose an elementary student from Bettendorf as the Iowa finalist in their annual Google Doodle contest.
Second-grader Shalini Chandupatla from Hopewell Elementary School submitted a doodle for the 2016 theme “What makes me… me.” Her design reads “I feel so good being ME!” and includes illustrations of reading, music, art, and outdoor activities.
There were 53 state-level winners in five age categories, and doodles were submitted by more than 100,000 students. In each of the eight years the contest has been running, more and more students enter their doodles, said Google spokesperson Patrick Lenihan.
“Every year it just gets better,” he said. “We get more and more submissions, we get more fascinating doodles from students all over the country.”
Each state winner gets a tablet PC and a sweatshirt, Lenihan said. In addition, Google gives various donations to the schools, like art supplies, sporting equipment, or books. He says “every school gets a little something.”
The national winner gets a $30,000 college scholarship and his or her school gets a $50,000 education grant to help with their computer lab or technology programs. That winner also gets to go to California to work with the Google Doodle team and will put their doodle up on the Google homepage for a day.
That winning doodle will get no shortage of views, as Google services more than 40,000 searches per second, about 3.5 billion searches each day.
If you would like to vote for your favorite doodle, click here. Voting is open through Monday, February 22, 2016.
