Pupils doodle for Google honours

SIX Galway pupils have been named as finalists in the fourth annual Doodle 4 Google art competition including, for the third year in-a-row, one pupil from Seamount College, Kinvara.
Three junior-cycle pupils from Seamount reached the semi-final of the Doodle4Google art competition recently with one reaching the final, which will be held at Google headquarters in Dublin on March 12.
Sean Duggan, who is in senior infants at Scoil Náisiúnta Mhuire in Claregalway, and Robert Treacy, who is in first class at St Michael’s National School in Galway, will join Emma Urquhart, fourth class at Craughwell National School and Colm Keady Tabbal, first year at Seamount College, Kinvara in the contest, which sees 75 pupils compete for a chance of seeing their doodle on the Google Ireland homepage. Also shortlisted is Pauline Osikoya, first year at Scoil Bhríde Mercy Secondary School in Tuam and Aisling Porter, fourth year at St Brigid’s VEC in Loughrea.
Colm’s entry, based on the theme I Wish, deals with the current economic crisis. Lia O’Flaherty and Alanna O’Sullivan reached the semi-finals of the competition.
Everyone in Galway is now being urged to visit www.google.ie/doodle4google and vote for their favourite doodle before midnight on Monday.
The five most popular doodles, one from each age category, will go forward to the final and a Google master doodler will select the overall winner.
“Every year, I am blown away by the imagination that Irish children show in the doodles they create. It is fantastic to see such creativity and passion in Ireland’s youth. This year’s theme of ‘I wish…’ really inspired them. The doodles depict everything you could possibly think of – space travel, dinosaurs, dragons and everything in between,” said John Herlihy, head of Google Ireland.
“It was extremely difficult for our expert judges to narrow the field of almost 2,000 doodles down to just 75 finalists. All of the finalists should be proud of their tremendous achievement.
“I’d encourage everyone in Galway to go to the website, have a look at the fantastic doodles that have been created by students from all over the country and vote for their favourites.”
The five class group winners and their teachers will receive a laptop each. The overall winner will also have their doodle shown on the Google Ireland homepage for a whole day in March and the winner’s school will receive a €10,000 technology grant from Google.