Top Google doodlers revealed

Google has revealed the Kiwi school students whose Google ‘doodles’ have made the top 20 in New Zealand’s first ever Doodle 4 Google competition.

Google called for entries from every primary, intermediate and secondary school in New Zealand, challenging students from Years 1 through 10 to design a Google ‘doodle’ inspired by the theme “My New Zealand”. The winning doodle will appear on the Google.co.nz homepage for one day in 2010, to be viewed by millions of users.

Google’s Annie Baxter says, “Thousands of entries were received from more than 600 schools across New Zealand. One hundred finalists were selected on the basis of artistic merit, creativity, and how well the theme of 'My New Zealand' was communicated.

“We then invited our judges, Te Papa’s Curator of Contemporary Art Charlotte Huddleston, Huffer founder Steve Dunstan and Erin Simpson, host of TV2’s The Erin Simpson Show, to come together at Te Papa’s amazing multimedia room Our Space to select the top 20. We’re enormously impressed at the calibre of the final 20 entries and can’t wait to see what New Zealand thinks now that we’re open for public voting.”

The top 20 entries can be viewed at www.google.co.nz/doodle4google where the public can vote for their favourite to find the four age group winners. Visitors to Te Papa can also view the top 20 doodles in Our Space as well as on the giant Our Space TelstraClear Screen on the outside of the complex next to Te Papa’s main entrance.

All students in the top 20 will be flown to the grand final event, to be held in Wellington on November 5th, where Dennis Hwang, Google’s original Doodler, will select the overall winner whose design will appear at www.google.co.nz.