Doodle for Google Scholarship 2027: Prizes, How to Enter, Winners

Who can enter — read this first:

This guide covers the US Doodle for Google contest. It is open to K-12 students in the United States, including homeschooled students and children of military families stationed abroad, who are US citizens or legal US residents. Entries are submitted by a parent, guardian, teacher, nonprofit leader, or afterschool program on behalf of the student. Doodle for Google also runs editions in other countries with their own rules and dates, so if you are outside the US, look for your own country's edition. The prizes, dates, and rules below are for the US contest.

What Is Doodle for Google?

Doodle for Google is Google's annual art contest for K-12 students. Every year Google announces a theme, and students redraw the Google logo to answer it. The winning Doodle is featured on the Google homepage for a full day, seen by millions of people. The Doodle for Google contest has run in the US since 2008, and it is one of the most recognisable student competitions in the country, because the prize is not just money: the winner's artwork becomes the Google Doodle itself.

When people search "what is doodle for google," they usually want two things: what the contest is, and whether it is a scholarship. Both answers are yes. Doodle for Google is an art contest and a scholarship competition at the same time. The national winner receives a college scholarship, finalists receive college scholarships, and every state winner receives recognition and Google hardware. That is why the Doodle for Google scholarship page is one of the highest-traffic scholarship pages on the internet: Scholarships.com's Doodle page alone draws an estimated 82,000 visits a month, and BigFuture's Doodle contest page draws around 49,000. One famous program, two giant pages, roughly 131,000 monthly visits between them.

Doodle for Google Scholarship: Prizes in Detail

The Doodle for Google scholarship prizes have grown over the years, so always confirm the current year's figures on the official contest site before you enter. For the recent contests, the prize structure has looked like this:

- National Winner: one student receives a $55,000 college scholarship, a $50,000 technology package for their school or nonprofit organisation, Google hardware and swag, and their Doodle featured on Google.com for 24 hours. In 2025-26 the national winner was Kameirah, a 12th grader from Washington, for her artwork "Hair Power: The Crown that Grows From Us."

- National Finalists: five finalists, one from each grade group, each receive a college scholarship (recent contests: $5,000 to $10,000 each), Google hardware, and swag, and their Doodles are featured in the official Doodle for Google gallery.

- State and Territory Winners: 55 state and territory winners (54 to 55 depending on the year) receive Google hardware and a congratulatory message, and their Doodles are featured in the gallery.

In total, around 60 awards are given each year. Earlier years were smaller: the 2023 winner received $30,000 and the 2024 winner $55,000, each with a $50,000 technology package for their school. The direction is clear: the Doodle for Google scholarship keeps getting bigger.

Doodle for Google 2027: Theme, Dates, and Deadline

Here is the honest status as of late October 2026: Google had not yet posted a theme or dates for the 2026-27 contest, and the official contest site was still showing the 2025-26 winner. That means there is no confirmed Doodle for Google deadline for the next cycle yet.

What we know from the last cycle: the 2025-26 theme was "My superpower is…," and entries ran from October 15 to December 10, 2025. The deadline has moved over the years: it used to be in spring, and it is now in December, with Google announcing each year's theme in the autumn. The pattern to watch is this: theme announced in autumn, entries open, December deadline, state winners announced, five national finalists named, public voting, then the national winner.

Because the Doodle for Google deadline moves, do not trust a date you see on a third-party scholarship site without checking the official contest site. Scholarship listing sites often carry over last year's date. The official source is the Doodle for Google site itself (doodles.google.com/d4g). If you are planning an entry, check there in autumn, and prepare the artwork early so a December deadline never catches you out.

Doodle for Google Contest: How It Works

The Doodle for Google contest runs in four levels, and understanding them helps you plan an entry that can actually win.

Level 1: State and Territory Winners. Entries are grouped into five grade groups: Grades K-3, Grades 4-5, Grades 6-7, Grades 8-9, and Grades 10-12. Judges pick state and territory winners from each grade group.

Level 2: National Finalists. The highest-scoring state winner in each grade group becomes a national finalist, so there are five national finalists in total, one per grade group.

Level 3: Public voting. The public votes for their favourite among the five national finalists. Hundreds of thousands of votes are cast.

Level 4: National Winner. After voting closes, one national winner is selected during final deliberations by a panel of judges, and that student's Doodle appears on the Google homepage.

Only one entry per student is allowed. Only the first Doodle entered for each student is considered, and additional Doodles are disqualified. So submit your best work once, not several attempts.

How to Enter Doodle for Google: Step-by-Step

How to enter Doodle for Google is simpler than most scholarship applications, because there is no essay, no transcript, and no recommendation letter. Follow these steps:

Step 1: Wait for the theme. Google announces it in the autumn on the official contest site. Do not start the final artwork before the theme is out, because the theme is one third of the judging.

Step 2: Create your Doodle. Use any medium: crayon, paint, markers, collage, clay, pastels, digital art, even found objects. The one hard rule is that the artwork must incorporate the letters G-O-O-G-L-E somewhere in the design. Remember the work is judged from a flat scan or photograph, so heavily three-dimensional work loses something in translation. Design for the flat image.

Step 3: Write your artist statement. Alongside the artwork, you submit a written description of 50 words or less explaining what your Doodle represents and how it connects to the theme. This statement counts toward theme communication, which is a full third of the judging, so do not treat it as an afterthought. Say clearly what your Doodle means and how it answers the theme.

Step 4: Get adult approval. A parent or guardian must consent to the entry. For students under 18, a parent or guardian must sign the entry form. Teachers, nonprofits, and afterschool programs can enter Doodles on behalf of students, but each entry form still needs the parent or guardian's signature.

Step 5: Submit before the December deadline. Submit online as a .png or .jpeg through the official entry form, or mail the completed entry form. Online submission is recommended. Entry is free. There is no purchase necessary to enter or win.

Step 6: Wait for judging. State winners are announced first, then national finalists, then public voting, then the national winner. The whole cycle runs from autumn entries to a winner announcement months later, so patience is part of the contest.

Doodle for Google Judging: The Three Criteria

Doodle for Google judging uses three criteria, and winning entries score on all three, not just one:

1. Artistic merit: technical skill in the execution, composition, technique, and visual appeal.

2. Creativity: originality of the idea, and how inventively the letters of the Google logo are incorporated into the artwork. A Doodle that just writes "Google" in plain letters scores low here. A Doodle that turns the letters into part of the scene scores high.

3. Theme communication: how clearly the theme comes through in both the artwork and the written statement. This is why the 50-word statement matters so much: it is your chance to explain the idea the artwork alone cannot carry.

The judging panel has historically included illustrators, authors, musicians, actors, and guest judges from creative fields, and Google has invited the National Teacher of the Year to join the panel. Recent guest judges have included NBA All-Star Giannis Antetokounmpo and National Teacher of the Year Ashlie Crosson.

Doodle for Google Themes: Past Themes and How to Use Them

Past Doodle for Google themes show what kind of thinking wins. The 2025-26 theme was "My superpower is…," and the winning Doodle celebrated hair as a superpower connected to family and culture. Earlier themes have asked students what they see for the future and what inspires them. The pattern across winning themes is personal: the strongest Doodles answer the theme with something specific to the student's own life, not with a generic slogan.

If you are preparing for the next Doodle for Google contest, study past winners in the official gallery before you draw. Notice three things: how the letters become part of the picture, how the theme is answered with a personal story, and how simple the strongest images are. A clear, personal, well-composed Doodle beats a crowded, complicated one almost every time.

Doodle for Google Winners: What Winners Get Beyond Money

The Doodle for Google winners get more than the scholarship. The national winner's artwork is displayed on Google.com for 24 hours, which is exposure no other student art prize offers. Winners receive Google hardware, a trophy for themselves and their school, and national press coverage. For a student applying to art or design programs later, "Doodle for Google national winner" or "national finalist" on an application is a distinction that stands out immediately. Even state winner status is worth listing on college applications, because it means your work was judged the best in your state and grade group.

Doodle for Google for Students: Tips That Actually Help

- Answer the theme personally. Judges read thousands of entries. A Doodle about your own family, town, or experience stands out against generic answers.

- Make the letters work. The Google letters should be part of the art, not a caption on top of it. The most creative Doodles hide, bend, and rebuild the letters inside the scene.

- Write the statement carefully. Fifty words is short. Draft it, cut it, and read it aloud. It should explain the Doodle in one breath.

- Design flat. Your Doodle will be judged as a scan or photo. Bold shapes, clear contrast, and a clean composition survive the scan. Fine detail and 3D effects often do not.

- Check the rules before submitting. One entry per student, parent or guardian signature, .png or .jpeg, submitted through the official form. A disqualified entry cannot be fixed after the deadline.

- Enter early. The December deadline is fixed, and late entries are not accepted. Submitting a week early costs nothing and removes all risk.

Doodle for Google for International Students

The US Doodle for Google contest is for US students, but Doodle for Google runs in other countries too, each with its own rules, grade groups, and dates. India, for example, runs its own edition for students in Classes 1 to 10, with its own national finalists and public vote. If you are outside the US, search for your own country's Doodle for Google edition rather than entering the US contest, because the US contest requires US citizenship or legal US residency. The structure is the same everywhere: theme, artwork, statement, judging, public vote, winner. Only the eligibility and dates change.

Doodle for Google vs Other Art Scholarships

Most art scholarships ask for a portfolio, grades, or an essay. Doodle for Google asks for one drawing and 50 words. That is why it is the most-entered art scholarship in the US, and also why it is the hardest to win: the barrier to enter is low, so the volume of entries is enormous. Treat it as a lottery ticket with skill attached. Enter it, give it your best work, and at the same time apply for other art and design scholarships with smaller applicant pools, where your odds are better. UShireZone lists verified scholarships every day, including art and design awards, so you can build a list that does not depend on a single famous contest.

How UShireZone Fits In

Doodle for Google is a US contest, but the lesson travels. Famous programs draw the most searches, and the students who win them are usually the ones who found them early and prepared properly. UShireZone exists for the other half of that lesson: verified scholarships, fellowships, and internships from around the world, with deadlines, funding, and eligibility, updated daily. If you are a US student, enter Doodle for Google when the theme opens, and add other scholarships alongside it. If you are an international student, your country's Doodle edition or another art scholarship may be your equivalent — and the listings on UShireZone are where you find them.