So, what is Doodle for Google? It’s Google’s yearly art contest for K–12 students in the U.S. Kids make their own artwork around a theme, and they have to work the letters of the Google logo into it. A Google Doodle is something else entirely. That’s the special artwork, animation, or little game that sits in place of the regular logo on Google’s homepage. The names are so close that plenty of people mix them up, and I don’t blame them.
The two do overlap, though. The contest’s national winner gets their artwork shown on Google.com, so the contest is basically how a student ends up with a Doodle.
In this guide I’ll walk you through both. We’ll cover how they differ, how the contest works, who’s allowed to enter, the current rules (yes, including the AI one), the prizes, and who won in 2026. I’ll also touch on Doodle games and where to dig up old Doodles.
What Is Doodle for Google?
Doodle for Google is an annual art competition for eligible K–12 students in the U.S. Students create original artwork around a yearly theme, and the best entries compete for scholarships, technology awards, and a spot on Google.com.
How the Contest Works
The whole thing follows a pretty simple path. Google picks a theme each year. Students make artwork with the letters of the Google logo built in, and they write a short description of what their piece means. Judges pick five national finalists, and the public votes. One of those finalists becomes the National Winner, and that artwork goes on Google.com.
Google says it has run the contest in the U.S. every year since 2008, and 2025–26 was number seventeen. It was also a bit of a shake-up. The contest featured five national finalists instead of one, and only then was a single National Winner chosen. Google also moved the whole thing from spring to fall so it fits the school year better.
Doodle for Google 2025–26 at a Glance
The 2025–26 theme was “My superpower is…” and the contest was open to K–12 students. Five national finalists were chosen, and each got a $10,000 scholarship. The National Winner was Kameirah Johnson from Washington, who received a $55,000 scholarship in total, while her school received a $50,000 technology award. The submission deadline was December 17, 2025.
What Is a Google Doodle?
A Google Doodle is a temporary change to the Google logo. Google uses them to mark holidays, anniversaries, scientific breakthroughs, artists, athletes, and moments in history. Some are a single illustration. Others are animated, some are videos, and a few are full games you can play.
The people behind them are called Doodlers. They’re the Doodle team, a group of illustrators and engineers at Google. Doodles also vary by country, so the one you see today might not be the one someone in another region sees.
Google Doodle vs Doodle for Google
A Google Doodle is homepage artwork made by Google’s Doodle team. It can be static, animated, video, or interactive, and it celebrates people, events, ideas, and milestones on Google Search. Doodle for Google is a student art contest. The artwork is created by K–12 students, and it gives them a chance to have their work featured, with the winning piece appearing on Google.com.
Doodle for Google vs Google Doodle vs Doodle Games
Here’s a simple way to keep the three straight. Doodle for Google is the student art contest. A Google Doodle is the temporary logo artwork on the homepage. Doodle games are Doodles you can actually play.
If you clicked on one expecting another, you’re not alone. They share a name, and the contest and the games both sit under the bigger Doodle program.
How Did Google Doodles Start?
It goes back to 1998. Larry Page and Sergey Brin were heading to the Burning Man festival, so they drew a little stick figure behind the logo. It doubled as an out-of-office note for anyone visiting Google. Google tells the story itself on its official Doodles about page.
From there, Doodles grew from simple holiday sketches into animations, videos, and interactive pieces. In 2010, Google put a playable Pac-Man on the homepage for the game’s 30th birthday, and that became its first interactive Doodle game.
Doodle for Google Contest: Eligibility and How to Enter
Who Can Enter Doodle for Google?
Entrants need to be in kindergarten through 12th grade. They also need to be U.S. citizens or permanent U.S. legal residents at the time of entry, on top of meeting the school requirements. Students have to be enrolled in a U.S.-based school or homeschool, or a school in Puerto Rico, U.S. territories and freely associated states, or Washington, D.C.
Kids of military personnel living abroad can enter too, and they’re judged alongside entries from their home state. Adults can’t enter, since this one’s just for students.
A student can send in their own entry, or a parent, teacher, nonprofit, or after-school program can do it for them. A parent or guardian still has to sign the entry form. Teachers can send in a whole batch at once, but every student only gets one entry.
Can Homeschool Students Enter Doodle for Google?
Yes, they can. If a homeschooled student ends up as the National Winner, their homeschool gets $5,000 in value toward Chromebooks for Education and/or tablets. The winner can then donate the remaining $45,000 toward technology for an eligible public library or public school in their community.
How to Enter Doodle for Google
Start by checking the current theme and dates on Google’s official Doodle for Google page. For the 2025–26 round, submissions ran from October 15 to December 17, 2025. For the next round, you’ll need to look at the official page.
Next, come up with an original Doodle based on the theme, and build the Google letters into your art. You can trace the logo on the entry form or start from a blank page. Then write a short artist statement, 50 words or fewer, and fill out the entry form with a parent or guardian’s permission.
Finally, send it in before the deadline. If you’re mailing it, it had to be postmarked by the deadline, so don’t leave it for the last day.
You’ll still find older guides saying the contest runs January to March. That’s out of date now that it’s a fall contest.
Doodle for Google Rules
The Core Rules
Every entry has to follow the originality, content, and submission requirements in Google’s official rules. The big ones are simple. Each student gets one original Doodle, and extra entries from the same student can be disqualified. Group entries aren’t allowed, so each Doodle has to be one student’s own work. The work must be original and the content appropriate. Any material is fine, and for 3D pieces you’ll send a clear photo.
Can You Use AI in Doodle for Google?
This is probably the question I see most. Google’s contest information and official rules say AI can only be used for brainstorming, and a teacher has to guide it. It can’t create any part of the Doodle, design included. Google also limits Gemini use under these guidelines to students who are 13 or older. If an entry is made with AI, it can be disqualified.
So a class can use AI to help spark ideas for the theme. But the artwork itself can’t come from AI, not even a small part of it.
Can Doodle for Google Entries Include Video or Audio?
No. Google isn’t taking video or audio submissions for the current contest. Digital art is welcome, but it has to be a still image saved as a JPG or PNG.
How Entries Are Judged and Winners Chosen
How Are Doodle for Google Entries Judged?
Judges look at three things. The first is artistic merit, which means how skilled the work is for the student’s age and the medium they picked. The second is creativity, meaning how original the idea is and how cleverly the Google letters are used. The third is theme communication, which is how well the artwork and the written description show the theme together. A great drawing with a vague statement can lose points here.
Google also brings in guest judges. For 2025–26, that included NBA star Giannis Antetokounmpo and Ashlie Crosson, the 2025 National Teacher of the Year. Once the judging is done, the public votes on the finalists, and a final panel chooses the National Winner.
How Long Does Doodle for Google Last?
It runs once a year, and the dates shift every time. In 2025–26, submissions closed on December 17, 2025. After that, five finalists were picked, the public voted, and Google announced the winner in early June 2026.
How Many Doodle for Google Finalists Are There?
In 2025–26 there were five national finalists, and one of them became the National Winner. Each finalist got a $10,000 college scholarship, had their artwork featured on Google.com, and received Google technology.
Doodle for Google Prizes and 2026 Results
What Are the Doodle for Google Prizes?
For 2025–26, the National Winner got a $55,000 college scholarship. That’s the $10,000 every finalist receives, plus an additional $45,000. The winner’s school also received a $50,000 technology award, and their artwork went up on Google.com.
Some older articles still say $30,000. That’s outdated. Prizes change between contest years, so check Google’s official rules before trusting anything older.
What Was the Doodle for Google 2026 Theme?
The 2025–26 theme was “My superpower is…” Google framed it around personal strengths and talents, so students had a lot of room to go their own way. Some drew a skill. Others drew a quality about themselves or their family. Tens of thousands of students took part.
Who Won Doodle for Google 2026? Meet Kameirah Johnson
The National Winner was Kameirah Johnson, a 12th grader from Washington state. Her piece is called Hair Power: The Crown That Grows From Us. She picked her hair as her superpower and tied it to her family, her culture, and the care that gets passed down through generations. She won after public voting and a final round of judging, and her Doodle showed up on Google’s homepage in early June 2026.
How to Create a Strong Doodle for Google Entry
Start with what the theme means to you. “My superpower is…” could be your cooking, your sense of humor, or how calm you stay when things get stressful. The more specific it is, the more it stands out.
Then build the idea around the letters. Think of the G, the two O’s, the L, and the E as little containers. Could a bird’s nest be an O? Could a pencil be the L? Make the link obvious too. If someone has to squint to see how your picture fits the theme, your statement needs to work harder.
Pick materials you’re comfortable with. Paint, markers, colored pencils, collage, and clay (photographed) all work. If you want some hands-on, textured ideas, this guide to crepe paper in kids’ art activities is a good place to start.
Write the statement last. Say what your art shows, why you chose it, and how it connects to the theme, all in 50 words or fewer. And keep the artwork yours. Teacher-guided brainstorming is the only place AI fits in.
Google Doodles Beyond the Contest
Why Does Google Create Doodles?
Google says Doodles are meant to surprise and delight people. One might honor a scientist, mark a holiday, explain a cultural tradition, or just make you smile before you search. For students and teachers, a Doodle can also be a jumping-off point for learning about the person, event, culture, or idea behind it.
What Is Google Doodle Today?
It depends on where you are. Google shows different Doodles in different regions, and some only appear in certain countries. The official Doodles site lists them by date, so that’s the best place to look.
What Are Google Doodle Games?
Some Doodles are interactive, and you can play them. Pac-Man in 2010 was the big early one. Since then Google has put out cricket games, coding challenges, Halloween games, and the Champion Island Games, which tied in with the Tokyo Olympics.
Games are a great way to make learning stick, and this piece on using trivia-based learning games to boost student engagement explains why.
Where Can You Find Old Google Doodles?
Google’s Doodle archive lets you browse past Doodles by date, topic, and region. It’s really handy when you need a specific one for a project.
FAQs
What is Doodle for Google?
It’s Google’s annual art contest for eligible K–12 students in the U.S., built around a yearly theme.
What’s the difference between a Google Doodle and Doodle for Google?
A Google Doodle is the artwork on Google’s homepage. Doodle for Google is the student contest whose winner can be featured on Google.com.
What was the Doodle for Google 2026 theme?
“My superpower is…”
Who won Doodle for Google 2026?
Kameirah Johnson, a 12th grader from Washington state.
Who can enter Doodle for Google?
K–12 students who are U.S. citizens or permanent U.S. legal residents, and who are enrolled in a U.S.-based school or homeschool, or a school in Puerto Rico, U.S. territories and freely associated states, or D.C. Kids of military personnel abroad can also enter.
Can homeschool students enter Doodle for Google?
Yes. If a homeschooled student wins, their homeschool gets $5,000 in value toward Chromebooks and/or tablets, and the winner can donate the remaining $45,000 toward technology for a public library or public school in their community.
How are Doodle for Google winners chosen?
Judges score entries on artistic merit, creativity, and theme communication. Five finalists go to public voting, and a final panel picks the National Winner.
How much is the Doodle for Google scholarship?
For 2025–26, the National Winner received $55,000 for college, and their school received a $50,000 technology award.
How many finalists are there?
Five national finalists, each with a $10,000 college scholarship.
How long does the contest last?
It runs once a year. The 2025–26 submission period closed on December 17, 2025.
Can you use AI for Doodle for Google?
Only for brainstorming with a teacher’s guidance. It can’t create any part of the Doodle, and Gemini use is limited to students 13 and older.
Can you submit a video or audio Doodle?
No. Digital art has to be a still JPG or PNG.
Is Doodle for Google free?
Yes, you don’t have to buy anything to enter.
Where can I see past Doodle for Google winners?
Google shares past winners through its Doodle for Google materials, and the main Google Doodles site keeps an archive of Doodles.
What is Google Doodle today?
It changes by region. Check the official Doodles site or archive.
Final Thoughts
So, what is Doodle for Google? It’s a student art contest with real prizes and a very big audience, and it lives right alongside the wider world of Google Doodles. They’re not the same thing, but they’ve got the same spirit: make something creative, give it meaning, and let people see it.
If you’re a student, start with the theme and make sure the artwork is really yours. If you’re a teacher or parent, read the official rules for the current round before you start, because dates, prizes, and tech rules change from year to year.
