Schools
Groton Student 12, Among State Finalists For Google's National Contest
Google recieved more than 114,000 entries from across the country for its logo competition.
A 12-year-old student from Groton has made it to the finals of Google’s national Doodle 4 Google logo design completion. Aryana M. (Google doesn’t provide last names because of the ages of the winners) was a finalist in the grade 6-7 category for her drawing "Before the Settlers Came".
Making it to the finals is a big achievement in itself. Google received more than 114,000 entries from across the country, of which only 250 state finalists were chosen in five different grade categories from Kindergarten to 12th grade.
Cory Hassman 14, a student at Coginchaug Regional High School in Durham, was chosen as a winning finalist in the Grade 8-9 category for Connecticut. To celebrate, Google representatives came to his school to present him with an award certificate at a special assembly.
Find out what's happening in Grotonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Other finalists from Connecticut along with Aryana, 12, of Groton, were: Alexander, 7, from Greenwich; Shivani, 10, from Stamford; and Jenny, 18, from Milford.
The first 250 Doodle finalists were selected by Google employees and guest judges, who this year included Katy Perry, singer; Jordin Sparks, singer and actress; Jeff “Swampy” Marsh, creator and executive producer of “Phineas and Ferb”; Mo Willems, creator of the Knufflebunny series; Holly Black, author of the Spiderwick Chronicles; and Tony DiTerlizzi, Illustrator of the Spiderwick Chronicles.
Find out what's happening in Grotonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Judging was based on artistic merit, creativity and best use of the Google logo, and on how well the theme was expressed in the artwork and the supporting statement. This year’s theme was “If I could travel in time, I’d visit …”
Who advances to the next level doesn’t depend on judges alone, however. Online voting will determine the ultimate winner from each state and then votes will be tallied to find out who makes the final cut.
The five finalists will win a trip to New York for a special event on May 17, a Wacom digital design tablet and a t-shirt with their logo design on it. The winner also gets a Google Chromebook computer.
The four finalists will receive a $5,000 scholarship but the top prize is even more impressive. The national winner of Doodle 4 Google will receive a $30,000 college scholarship and Google will present the student’s school with a $50,000 technology grant to help establish a computer or technology program.
Who advances to the next round will be decided by popular vote. Online voting started May 2 and runs through May 10, so go to Google and click for Cory!
