Oodles of Oz Google doodles

Kids of Australia, well done! I’ve just come back from the judging of the Australian Doodle 4 Google competition, and the 320 finalists were pretty impressive examples of both logo art and problem-solving. Problem-solving as in getting artistic vision to fit in with the use of the Google logo.

Judging the competition are artists Ken Done and Anne Geddes, along with humanitarian and director of the Global Poverty Project Hugh Evans. And can I just say there are some freakishly talented kids from years 1 and 2 out there – not only did they stay in the lines with the colouring in, there was some quite striking logos produced. But in world where some artists can churn out art in a factory-line-like arrangement, I’m happy for a few Aussie kids to be the creative directors while getting a little bit of outside help with the execution of their ideas.

The 2007 Australian winner of the Doodle 4 Google competition

The brief was for the artists to put to paper a graphic representing ‘My wish for Australia’. Dominant themes were water conservation, energy alternatives and efficiency, sport, along with a slab of classic Australian images, such as rosellas, the beach, the Australian flag, and the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge.

A selection of entries in the 2009 Doodle 4 Google competition (excuse the quality – iPhone camera… say no more)

The judges are today whittling the 320 entries down to 32, and then it will open to public judging. The final winner will gain $10,000 worth of technology equipment for their school, and their winning logo will grace the front page of Google Australia for the 24 hours of Australia Day.