One Day Left to "Doodle 4 Google"

Ever thought that your children's sketches in the margins of their notebooks or napkin doodles could get them a free ride through college? Google thinks so. 

The fifth annual "Doodle 4 Google" competition, which will redesign the browser's homepage logo for millions to see, has just one day left with submissions due by March 23. This year's theme is "If I could travel in time, I'd visit…"

Google's first doodle came about in 1998 when founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin attended Burning Man Festival in Nevada. They placed a stick figure drawing behind the second 'o' of the logo to signify that they would not be in the office. Since then, Google has posted over 1000 doodles to their homepage, from a tribute to Pinocchio to Les Paul's interactive guitar to a real game of PAC-MAN. 

The competition's official website states that the purpose of the competition is not only to create a new logo, but also, "to encourage and celebrate the creativity of young people...we are always excited to see the range of inspiring doodles that are submitted.

"This open ended prompt is intended to encourage creative, inspiring, and fun ideas of what place they could explore and observe regardless of when an event that they want to depict took place. We know that this crop of students will be tomorrow’s leaders and inventors, and we’re very much looking forward to the exciting designs that they’re going to submit."

The Doodle 4 Google 2011 winning design was created by Matteo Lopez, a second grade student from California. 

The competition, which is open to all K-12 students in U.S. schools, is split up into five age groups: K-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9 and 10-12.  

Prizes for the National Winner include: the winner's doodle featured on the U.S. Google homepage, a $30,000 college scholarship to be used at the school of his or her choice, a trip to New York for an event on May 17, 2012, a Google Chromebook computer, a Wacom digital design tablet, and a t-shirt printed with his or her doodle on it. Google will also award the winner's full-time school a $50,000 technology grant towards the establishment or improvement of a computer lab or technology programming. 

A panel of Google employees will choose 250 doodles from across the country based on which ones they feel best represent this year's theme. In each state, one doodle will be selected in each grade group.

From there, guest judges, which include the likes of Katy Perry and Jordin Sparks, and Google doodlers will pick the best doodle from each state to narrow down to the top 50 submissions. Then, from May 2, 2012 at 6:00 a.m. (PT) to May 10, 2012 at 5:00 p.m. (PT), the U.S. public will vote for the top 5 National Finalists with the highest ranked doodle coming from each age group. Out of the five, one will be named the National Winner. 

The remaining four National Finalists will receive $5,000 to be used at their college of choice, a trip to New York for the final event on May 17, 2012, a Wacom digital design tablet, and a t-shirt printed with their doodle on it.

To submit a doodle or for more information on rules of entry and other prizes, check out the official Doodle 4 Google 2012 competition website before it's too late!