The word doodle pairs nicely with the word Google, but it hardly does justice to the intricate drawing that earned 14-year-old Lauren Hall a spot in a national competition to transform the ubiquitous web browser title into art.
Transforming the six letters into backdrops, the Frances Richmond Middle School eighth-grader created detailed vignettes of people working in different professions: an astronaut, an artist, a gardener, a computer programmer, a teacher and a scientist.
“I was thinking about it a lot, and I thought, I want everyone to have an equal opportunity to pursue their passions without anyone stopping them,” said Hall, who lives in Hanover with her parents, Joe and Diana Hall, and her twin sister, Sarah.
The drawing, which Hall titled Next Generation Leaders, is one of 53 finalists — one from each state and each of the three territories — competing for the national Doodle for Google title. In addition to a $30,000 college scholarship, a $50,000 technology package for his or her school and a trip to Google headquarters, the national winner will see his or her art displayed on Google for one day.
But first, Google will winnow the state winners down to five finalists through public voting. Starting on Monday and running through Friday, you can vote for your favorite doodle by visiting the Doodle for Google website: doodles.google.com/d4g.
The winner from the top five finalists will then be selected by a panel of judges comprising 2018 National Teacher of the Year Mindy Manning, Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon and a frog named Kermit.
Hall, who has always enjoyed drawing and admits to being a habitual doodler on her schoolwork, said she found out about the contest, now in its 12th year, when she was, yes, Googling art competitions a few months ago.
“I thought it was a pretty cool idea,” said Hall, who also plays soccer and softball and likes math and science. “I use Google every day to do my schoolwork. I feel like it’s something that’s in our daily lives.”
Once she came up with the idea for her drawing, Hall said it came together pretty quickly. She used a fine-tipped pen and colored pencils to create her entry, along with a white pen to add contrasting and highlights.
Hall also had to submit an artist’s statement. Hers reads: “When I grow up, I hope that people will continue to break boundaries in professions and that we will be more accepting towards all types of people, no matter their differences. Just like the people in the drawings, I hope that we will be able to evolve our technology, reach to the stars, invent new creations, take care of our precious planet, teach our knowledge to others, and paint ourselves in the future that we dream of.”
Hall, who found out she was a state winner about three weeks ago, isn’t sure what profession she’ll pursue herself, but she hopes the drawing inspires young people like her to dream big about what they can do.
“I wanted it to represent a large group of people, so people can look at it and go, ‘Oh, that’s what I want to be when I grow up,’ ” she said.
This isn’t the first time Hall has been recognized for her artwork. Just a few weeks ago, she won second place in two categories in the Massachusetts-based Bow Seat Ocean Awareness Program’s Healthy Whale, Healthy Ocean Challenge. Her drawing was made into a postcard that can be sent to members of Congress in support of the SAVE Right Whales Act.
Google has been featuring doodles on its homepage since 1998, when the founders paid homage to the Burning Man festival by placing a stick figure behind one of the O’s. Over the years, more than 2,000 doodles have appeared on the homepage, honoring artists, inventors, activists and other historic figures, as well as commemorating holidays and other special events.
Sarah Earle can be reached at searle@vnews.com or 603-727-3268.