This article, originally published at 1:16 pm. on May 22, 2024, was updated at 6 p.m. on May 22, 2024 to add comments from Sofia Ravilious.
Sofia Ravilious, a second grader at Kensington Parkwood Elementary School, has been selected as the Maryland winner for the 16th annual Doodle for Google contest, according to an announcement Wednesday.
Sofia, 8, is now facing off with 55 other young artists from around the country to garner the most votes by the end of the day on June 4 to be the national winner and have her doodle featured on Google.com for 24 hours.
Her artwork, titled “Nature will never end,” depicts a forest scene with trees, flowers, birds, insects, squirrels and rabbits crafted from colorful clay to spell out “Google.” The theme of the contest this year was for students to answer the prompt “My wish for the next 25 years …” through their art.
“I made a forest with animals and trees because my wish for the next 25 years is that there will be more nature for animals to survive in,” Sofia said in her art description.
Sofia told MoCo360 Wednesday afternoon that she was excited and happy to learn that she was a finalist.
“I hope [people] vote for me because I put a lot of effort into it and it took a lot of time to make it,” she said, adding that she spent close to a month working on the project.
Sofia also said that she was “very worried” about climate change and wished for animals to have more forests to thrive in.
She is among 55 winners across the country, Puerto Rico, and U.S. territories who were selected out of thousands of entries from kindergarteners to 12th graders, after submitting their Google logo artwork for the competition in January. Her work, representing Maryland, is featured in the kindergarten through third-grade category.
“We were amazed by the submissions we received,” Selly Sallah, Google’s doodle product marketing manager, said in an emailed statement. “Across ages, students showcased their visions for the future in thoughtful and unique ways.
“Young artists shared a range of things they wished for in the next 25 years including safer communities, technological breakthroughs, a cleaner planet, and greater unity among people,” she said. “Given the challenging nature of the past few years, we were really inspired to see the many ways students have been facing the opportunities and challenges that the future brings.”
Sofia, along with other state and territory winners, received a Chromebook, Google swag and a congratulatory celebration at her school organized by the Doodle for Google team.
All the winners are featured on the Doodle for Google Gallery and the public can vote on their favorite artwork through June 4 at 11:59 p.m.
Her mother, Erin Pickar, told MoCo360 Wednesday morning that she and her husband were “very excited” when they heard that their daughter’s artwork was selected.
“I’m very proud of her and happy for her that she could have some success,” Pickar said. “It’s something that she worked on over the course of a few weeks and … something that she worked really hard on.”
Pickar noted that this year was the second time Sofia entered the competition and that she was especially excited to use clay as the medium for her artwork.
“She was participating in a mini-polymer clay club before school once a week with the art teacher from school, so she really likes using clay to make things,” Pickar said. “And when she was thinking of her idea, she sketched out some things and thought animals would be fun to make out of clay.”
Pickar said the nature theme of Sofia’s artwork comes from her love of exploring the outdoors and learning about animals, insects and deep-sea creatures.
“We used to live near the zoo, and we would go to the zoo a lot when she was [younger],” she said, referring to the National Zoo in Washington, D.C.
On Monday, Sofia’s victory was celebrated by Kensington Parkwood Elementary’s entire second grade. At the celebration, the school’s principal read a congratulatory letter from Google and unveiled the artwork for the school to admire, Pickar said.
“She was really excited, and all her friends were cheering for her,” Pickar said of the celebration.
In January, Google asked students to submit their ideas for the Doodle for Google contest. The winners of the state and U.S. territories category were announced Wednesday and are all in the running to be the national winner.
In addition to having their artwork featured on the Google homepage for a day, the top prize winner will receive a $55,000 college scholarship and $50,000 in technology for their school or non-profit organization.
When voting ends in June, the national winner and five national finalists will be announced. The five finalists receive a $5,000 college scholarship, Google tech and swag, according to the contest website.
