Log on to www.google.com, apart from the generic search bar, what else do you see? It’s the quirky, fun, and always-changing doodle on top, right? These Google logos turned into doodles are created by a talented team of illustrators or “doodlers,” which are made to celebrate occasions and the lives of famous people.
In a move that aims to tap the country’s many unhinged talents, Doodle 4 Google (D4G) was launched in the Philippines last July. This competition seeks to encourage expressiveness among the Filipino youth. Through reinventing the Google Philippines homepage logo, these young minds are able to look beyond and envision “what can they do for the country.”
D4G is classified into four age groups: 5-8 years old; 9-11 years old; 12-14 years old; and 15-17 years old. This competition saw an overwhelming 51,000 doodle entries and was narrowed down to 10 per age category. The entries were judged in three aspects: artistic merit, creativity, and theme communication. The panel of judges includes 2009 CNN Hero of the Year Efren Penaflorida, TBWA-Santiago Mangada Puno Senior Art Director CJ De Silva-Ong, PLDT-Smart Foundation, Inc. president Ma. Esther Santos, and BPI Foundation, Inc. Senior vice president and executive director Fidelina Corcuera. An online public voting determined the age category winners, from which Google doodler Katy Wu picked the overall winner.
From the 40 finalists, the competition saw 4 coming out on top (one from each category) and one overall winner. Kim Patrick Saren of Nabunturan National Comprehensive high school was declared the grand winner of the first D4G competition in the Philippines with his entry, Sari-Jeepney.
Not only a manifestation of the synergy of art and technology, the entries also symbolize the beauty of willpower and selflessness of the Filipino people.
“This is a sarimanok inspired idea. It symbolizes Filipino culture with deep appreciation of hard work and creativity,” explained Kim of his doodle. “The concept is created to solve problems like traffic, economy, education, and basic needs. The key on the tail signifies the solutions to the problems wherein we must fly high with pride and honor.” Kim belongs to the 15-17 age group category.
Three other winners were picked per age group. Angela Kaitlin Tiu’s “Love and care for the Philippines,” Avryll Nartates’ “Coral Ripped or Coral Reef?”, and Jay Portallo’s “Symphony for Peace” won for the 5-8 years old, 9-11 years old, and 12-14 years old categories, respectively.
“Through the competition, we saw the depth of the Filipino youth’s insight, creativity, and innovation. They are very keen on the idea of nation-building,” said Ryan Morales, Goodle Philippines country marketing manager. “The doodles reflect the aspirations of the nation over pressing issues—from solution to flooding to environment protection to food for the poor, value of education, culture preservation, and global competitiveness.”
Kim’s doodle will grace the Google Philippines homepage on November 10, 2014 (for 24 hours). He took home a Google trophy, PHP 400,000 educational grant from BPI Foundation, an art kit from National Bookstore, and an Acer C720 Chromebook. The PLDT – Smart Foundation will also provide a PHP 350,000 connectivity grant for Kim’s school.
The age category winners also received various prizes including a medal from Google, a Nexus 7 tablet, a 3D doodling pen, and PHP 5,000 worth of gift certificates from National Bookstore.
To see more doodles, visit the archive on google.com/doodles. Terms and conditions used on the competition can be found on google.com.ph/doodle4google
