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Google's football doodle contest fever grips UAE
Ever wondered who draws the spectacular doodles on Google's logo on its homepage?
The logo highlights the speciality of each important day or event globally commemorated by the Internet giant?
Well, Google says it is its webmaster Dennis Hwang. But the company now says, one day very soon, it could probably be a talented student from the UAE and you now have the chance to select him or her.
Google has shortlisted 10 children from the UAE who topped the “Doodle 4 Google” competition’s national round for the Middle East and North Africa Region.
The creations of these students are now on display on Google’s homepages in MENA countries.
An online poll has begun on http://www.google.ae/lovefootballvote to choose the best among them, who will become the National Winner for the global competition.
The first-of-its-kind artistic contest happening in 18 countries has the theme “I Love Football”.
The best doodle highlighting the theme on Google’s logo will fetch global fame to the international winner as his/her doodle would be posted for one day on the www.google.com homepage on July 11. The global winner will also receive a free trip to South Africa with three other persons.
July 11 is the final day of FIFA World Cup — one of the most important global events of the year. However, Google is not officially linking the contest to the World Cup, according to Najeeb Jarrar, its associated product marketing manager for MENA.
“We are not connecting it to the World Cup, but the sport. Kids are being asked to express their love for the sport of football through a doodle on Google’s logo,” he told Khaleej Times.
The UAE is the chosen contest country in the region and the best doodle with the apt title selected from the 10 semifinalists here would be displayed on all MENA Google domains for a day — June 14.
“We decided to hold the contest for the region in Dubai because of its nature of having so many different nationalities from different parts of the world, the MENA region specifically,” said Jarrar.
Around 180 students from various schools and countries took part in the competition recently held in Children’s City in Dubai. The semifinalists are Noyona Biswas, Krishna Bala Shenol, Saleem Mohammed Markabiah, Aeren Jan Samera, Alston Rodriguez, Rimsha Kidwai, Kholud Yasser Mansour, Alia Abdul Aziz, Aniruddh S. Menon and Maria Shane Mesina.
The voting fever has gripped several schools in Dubai as these children’s friends and teachers have started campaigning for them. Apart from the exposure to millions of people, the MENA winner will also bag a laptop with digital art supplies with an approximate retail value of £670.
“I couldn’t believe that I am among the top 10 here,” said an excited Rimsha Kidwai, a ninth grader from Westminster School in Dubai. “I was second in the list. Now, all our friends and teachers are campaigning for me and Aeren (another contestant from the same school),” she said.
Visweswar Rao, the head of Art Department in The Millennium School whose four students are in the fray, said the competition would immensely boost the confidence and exposure of the talented children.
Echoing the same, Jarrar added, “Their creations are going to be seen my millions of people, that’s an exposure perhaps most of the great paintings in the region wouldn’t get. So, we are encouraging Google users to vote for them.”
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