Key Takeaways

• Doodle for Google is an annual Google art contest for students in grades K-12 in the United States, and Google features the five finalists’ Doodles on the Google homepage.
• Each Doodle must include the letters of the Google logo and respond to the contest’s yearly theme, each entry includes a description of 50 words or less, and each student may enter one Doodle.
• In the 2025-26 contest, each of the five finalists received a $10,000 college scholarship, a Chromebook, and a Doodle on the Google homepage, and the National Winner received an additional $45,000 scholarship and a $50,000 technology package for the winner’s school.
• Google moved Doodle for Google from spring to fall for the 2025-26 contest, which opened for submissions on October 15, 2025 and closed in December 2025.
• The 2025-26 theme was “My superpower is…”, and the National Winner was Kameirah, a high school senior from Washington, with a Doodle titled “Hair Power: The Crown that Grows From Us.”
• As of October 24, 2026, the official Doodle for Google website has not posted a theme or dates for the next contest.

What is Doodle for Google?

Doodle for Google is an annual art contest in which students in grades K-12 create their own Google Doodle, a version of the Google logo that responds to a yearly theme. Google has run the contest in the United States every year since 2008, and the 2025-26 contest was its 17th year.

Students can enter if they attend a school in the United States (including homeschool), Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory or freely associated state, or the District of Columbia. Children of military personnel abroad could also enter in 2025-26 and were judged with entries from their home state. Each student submits one Doodle with a description of 50 words or less. Parents, teachers, nonprofits, and after school programs can submit entries on behalf of students.

For 2025-26, judges selected five finalists from tens of thousands of submissions. Each finalist received a $10,000 college scholarship, a Chromebook, and a Doodle on the Google homepage. Judges and a national public vote then helped determine the National Winner, who received an additional $45,000 scholarship and a $50,000 technology package for the winner’s school.

Google changes the prizes from one contest year to the next, so students check the current official rules before entering.

How to Participate in Doodle for Google

Before you start drawing, make sure to follow these crucial Google For Doodle rules so you can submit your design. Here's a step by step guide on how to participate:

1. Check Eligibility

The competition is for students in US schools, from kindergarten through 12th grade. Participants will be divided into 5 divisions based on grade:

• K-3
• 4-5
• 6-7
• 8-9
• 10-12

Make sure you fit into one of these categories before proceeding.

2. Register for the Contest 

Go to the official Doodle for Google website during the contest period for the complete official rules and the entry form. Download and complete the one-page entry form, which includes a parent or guardian’s consent. Parents, legal guardians, teachers, nonprofits, and after school programs can submit entries on behalf of students, and teachers can submit multiple Doodles at one time as long as each student has only one original Doodle.

3. Understand the Theme

Google picks a theme for the contest every year and announces it in the fall. The 2025-26 theme was “My superpower is…”, which asked students to show their personal strengths and talents. Here is a list of themes used in recent years alongside the winning entries. See the 2026 winner post for the most recent winning Doodle.

• “My superpower is…” (Doodle for Google 2025-26, National Winner: Kameirah from Washington)

• “My wish for the next 25 years…” (Best Doodle for Google 2024)

• "I am grateful for…" (Doodle for Google 2023)

• “I care for myself by…” (Doodle for Google 2022)

• "I am strong because..." (Doodle 2021)

• "I show kindness by..." (Doodle 2020)

The theme is crucial since your doodle has to embody it. So, while you make a Doodle for Google, think of how to convey the theme through your artwork in a unique and personal way.

4. Create Your Doodle

When making a doodle, you can use crayons, pencils, paints or even go for clay, building blocks, and simple objects like rocks and paper. Computer-generated graphics are also allowed. Regardless of how you choose to create your Doodle for Google Designs, make sure to include the letters of the Google logo within the design. 

Also, check the resolution to guarantee the image is clear. If you’re scanning a picture you’ve drawn by hand, make sure that your scan is sharp and the edges are properly aligned so your original sketch comes through.

5. Write an Artist Statement

Along with your doodle, you must provide a brief statement about the art, in no more than 50 words. Parents and teachers or afterschool programs can submit entries on behalf of their children or students. This statement should explain why you made the design and how it fits into the theme. Judges need to have an idea of what the artist wants to achieve, and a good artist statement can assist them in doing so.

6. Submit Your Entry

Once the entry form is complete, submit the Doodle and the form through the official website before the deadline. Google moved the contest from spring to fall, so submissions now run from October to December. The 2025-26 contest opened on October 15, 2025, and its contest page listed December 17, 2025 as the deadline. Check the official Doodle for Google website for the dates of the current contest.

What It Takes to Win Doodle for Google

You don't have to be a professional artist to win the Doodle for Google competition. While creativity and skill are important, the judges look for these three key qualities:

1. Creativity and Originality  

In most innovative projects, the main thing judges lookout for is the creativity that participants bring to the table in relation to the given theme. This means thinking outside the box and coming up with an idea that is unique from your worldview. Avoid overused concepts and think about new ideas that have not been used before in the type of project being considered.

2. Artistic Skill  

Even though the competition is open to players of all skill levels, an excellent design will put you several steps ahead of the others. Make sure your doodle looks neat and aesthetically pleasing, regardless of whether you drew it using paint and pencils or through a digital platform. Every detail matters: be it the position of the objects or the colors used.

3. Communication of the Theme  

A good submission should easily convey the outlined Doodle For Google theme. The panel of judges will assess how appropriate your design is to the given theme. Does your artwork tell a story? Does it convey a message or express an emotion? Your doodle should entertain the viewer and at the same time, stay true to the theme.

5 Tips for Winning Doodle for Google

Consider the following tips to increase your chances of winning the Doodle for Google competition:

1. Align with the Theme

Doodle for Google comes with an annual theme that forms the basis of your artwork for the design contest. For your doodle to be effective and stand out, it would need to relay the theme in a meaningful way. Spend time to reflect on the prompt and carefully think about how it's connected to your life, goals, or beliefs. Don't feel restricted to its conventional meaning, feel free to put your twist. Of all the aspects that the judges will look at, the most critical factor is the ability to establish a good link to the theme.

2. Creatively Integrate the Google Logo

Your doodle has to relate to Google and should creatively contain its logo. Instead of drawing or outlining the letters, consider how you can incorporate them into your overall design. The letters should be recognizable but can be used as a part of a character. For instance, the Letter "G" may be drawn to represent a smiling face while the Letter "O" can be part of a landscape.

3. Tell a Story Through Your Doodle

An outstanding doodle isn’t just a pretty picture, it is also a message. It tells us the story of the doodle in relation to the main subject. The lines and shapes from your pencil that make up your doodle should have a coherent meaning, a purpose – to convince the logical part of your viewer to think deeply about the meaning of your creation.

4. Look at Past Submissions

Spend some time going through the Doodles that reached the Google homepage. Google publishes each year’s finalists and winners on its blog, including the 2026 finalists from Texas, Utah, Vermont, Michigan, and Washington. The finalists’ descriptions in the Google post tied the theme to specific personal strengths, such as sports or playing brass instruments.

Look at how these artists reinterpreted the theme, which colors they chose, and how they used the logo. The idea is not to copy anybody else, but studying previous designs helps you understand what makes the winning Doodles special.

5. Seek Feedback and Refine Your Design

Before making your Google for Doodle submission, ask friends, family, or your teachers to review it. It is always easier for someone else to review your work and point out that your art could use improvements or that your theme might not be clear enough. Make slight adjustments to the doodle if the feedback will create a more positive perception. However, don't stray too far from your original vision.

Other Art Contests for High School Students

Doodle for Google is one of many art contests for high school students. Indigo Research’s guide to art competitions for high school students describes 18 of them, including the YoungArts National Arts Competition, the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, and the Congressional Art Competition.

YoungArts accepts applications from students in grades 10-12 or ages 15-18 and gives cash awards from $250 to $10,000. The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards accept work from students in grades 7-12 and offer national scholarships from $500 to $12,500, and our guide to Scholastic Gold Key explains how its regional awards work.