More than $10,000 in technology equipment is up for grabs in the 2013 Doodle 4 Google competition, which is now open for registration.

School students across New Zealand are invited to sharpen their pencils, use their imagination and reveal their artistic talent to create a Google doodle that depicts their vision for “If I was an explorer I would…”.

The winning doodle will be shown on the Google homepage for a day, and the artist will win $10,000 of technology equipment for their school, a Chromebook and Nexus 7 tablet for themselves.

A teacher from the winning school will also get to accompany Professor Chris Turney on an expedition to the Antarctic. Students will be able hear about their adventures through a series of Hangouts on Air on GoogleAustralia’s Google+ page.

Age group winners will receive an interactive whiteboard for their school and a laptop, while national year group winners will receive 10 Nexus 7 tablets for their school and one for themselves.

Information, including a lesson plan and doodle template have been sent to schools. Registrations close on August 23 and all doodles must be submitted by September 20.

Google’s first doodle was displayed in 1998 when the founders played with a corporate logo to show they were going to the Burning Man festival. Since then, doodles on the Google homepsge have been used to celebrate holidays, anniversaries and the lives of famous artists and scientists.

Go to www.google.co.nz/doodle4google for further information and to register.