You Can Now Vote For Your Favourite Google Doodle, Drawn By Aussie Schoolkids

Earlier this year, Google announced its Doodle 4 Google competition for 2015, asking school kids across the country to submit a doodle with the theme: “If I could travel back in time I would…” More than 26,000 doodles were lovingly crafted in pencil, paint and crayon, and Google have managed to narrow those entrants down to 30 state and territory winners. Now it’s up to the public to vote for their favourites.

Voting opened this morning at 10am, letting the public back the doodle that they most want to see on the Google homepage. The entries are split into year groups (years 1-3, years 4-6, years 7-8 and years 9-10), and Google is letting you submit a vote for your favourite in each group. When the public vote ends on October 2nd, one national winner will be chosen from each year group — with the overall winner then being chosen by one of Google’s official Doodlers. The national year group winners will score a Nexus tablet all for themselves, along with a bunch of tablets for their school’s use, whereas the overall winner will also net their school an additional $10,000 worth of equipment — oh, and the bragging rights of having their artwork displayed on the most visited site on the internet.

With this year’s theme, Google invited students to travel back in time, and the entries range from partying with dinosaurs and cave men, to visiting Ned Kelly and living the bushranger life. Some of the doodles are more sombre than others, with ACT finalist Ineka Voigt’s beautiful doodle on the Stolen Generation standing out in the year 9-10 group: “I would reunite mother and child. A weeping mother sits in an ochre desert, dreaming of her children and a life that never was… all that remains is red sand, tears and the whispers of her stolen dreamtime.”

I’ve included some of my favourite doodles below, but you can check out all 30 of the state and territory winners and vote for your own favourites here. Australia’s got itself some future Google Doodlers here for sure.


The Old Tree by Billy Mahaffy, Scotch College Junior School, WA, Year 1-2

“If I could go back in time I would see my Grandad again and his dog, Snaggers (because he is a sausage dog). We would play in the big, old tree in the backyard.”


Helen Keller by Saffron Buist, John Calvin, TAS, Year 1-2

“If I could go back in time, I would love to meet Helen Keller. I read her book and found it very interesting. I would like to watch her read braille and see how she lived. I like that she never gave up and made the most of her life.”


Radiating Curie by Sinzhi Lee, Woodlands Primary, WA, Year 4-6

“If I could travel back in time, I would go back to when Marie discovered radiation, because not many people know about her and how she discovered radiation that we’ve all come to be so cautious about. To me, Marie is a hero and she should be known.”


Bushrangers by Paris Gregory, Stanley Primary School, TAS

“I would go back in time to when there were bushrangers because then I could meet the most famous bushranger of all, Ned Kelly! I could also see how life was back then. That’s why I chose bushrangers.”


Discovery of the Past by Shalayne Smith, Marymount College, QLD

“I want to discover if mythical creatures were real. To see if griffins soared in the sky and dragons lurked in caves. I want to see for myself if majestic pheonix’s rose from ash. I would love to see these amazing, other-wordly creatures in person, to observe their breath-taking existence.”


History by Edith Spiers, Salesian College, VIC

“This doodle represents history in the last 2000 years. It depicts a celtic design, a roman coin, a medieval helmet, three Renaissance paintings, a suffragette and a space shuttle in chronological order. The words ‘sed futura intuebitur’ means ‘look to the future’. Note that the face of each figure is looking to the right of the timeline.”


Beyond the Lights by Aaron Rueda, Catholic Regional College, VIC

“‘Cities come to life at night’. Every night spent sightseeing was filled with wonder and amazement at the sight of the city’s vibrant lights, yet the lackluster backdrop always left me dreaming; the brilliance to go back in time to see the stars immerse the city, beyond the synthetic lights.”

[Google]


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