Doodle 4 Google contest comes to Singapore

The Google logo is one of the most recognized in the world, but its real draw is that it's been creatively re-designed over and over as a way of marking worldwide events and holidays. Called "Google Doodles," these drawings have a cult following ever since Google Webmaster Dennis Hwang started the first doodle as an intern in 2000. Now, Google Singapore is organizing its first ever Doodle 4 Google competition in Singapore.

The Google Doodle for 2009's National Day

With support from the Ministry of Education, Google is inviting local students (aged between 4 and 19 years old) to add a touch of local flavor to the Google logo, such as the one that first appeared on www.google.com.sg for 2009's National Day celebrations. It's the first of its kind in Southeast Asia and the theme will be "Our Singapore," where students can express what they what they love about their nation using the Google logo. The winning entry will appear on the Google Singapore homepage on National Day 2010, while the national winner, along with one parent and a school representative, will also receive an all-expenses paid trip worth $10,000 to Google's headquarters in Mountain View, California, USA.

Singaporean artists Lee Chee Chew, creator of the weekly comics strip "CHEW ON IT!" and Vertical Submarine, a winner of the President's Young Talents 2009 award, will judge the Singaporean entries this year. Chade-Meng Tan, the first Singaporean Googler and also a judge, said, "It's important for our young people to be aware of their world around them, and to actively discuss and consider what it means to be Singaporean and our hopes for our country. Thinking about how to express Singapore and our values to a global audience through the Doodle 4 Google initiative will help them to become both more locally and globally minded."

Deadline for submissions is February 26, 2010 with public voting soon after. Full details can be found at www.google.com.sg/doodle4google.