Voting Now Open for Annual Doodle 4 Google Contest

From second grader Arushi's depiction of ancient Egypt to twelfth grader Megan's rendition of the distant future, the competition in this year's Doodle 4 Google contest is fierce.

Google on Wednesday announced the 50 state winners, and is now asking for your help to narrow down the playing field to five national finalists. A winner will be named in New York City on May 17.

This challenged K-12 students to draw their version of the Google logo, using the theme "If I could travel in time, I'd visit…" The ultimate doodler will have their drawing featured on the Google homepage, as well as walk away with a $30,000 college scholarship, a $50,000 technology grant for their school, and have their drawing appear on a special-edition box of Crayola crayons.

The 50 state winners were narrowed down from a record-breaking 114,000 submissions that came in "from all corners of the country—from North Pole, Alaska, to Suwanee, Ga.," Marissa Mayer, vice president of product management at Google, wrote in a blog post Wednesday.

Students were free to depict any past, present, or future setting, and doodles from the 50 state winners ran the gamut. Stilwell, Okla. second grader Janessa depicted a cherry blossom celebration in Japan, while Morgantown, W.Va. eighth grader Alisa envisioned the 1851 World Expo in London. Seven year-old Dylan from Caledonia, Wis. drew the Google logo as part of a pirate scene, noting he would "like to sail a pirate ship looking for treasure, have a colorful pet parrot and enjoy beautiful sunsets from deserted islands."

To help narrow the contest down to 250 state finalists and then 50 state winners, Google called on a panel of guest judges, including singers Katy Perry and Jordan Sparks; Jeff "Swampy" Marsh, who created the Disney show Phineas and Ferb; as well as other illustrators, artists, and Google employees.

You can check out all the state finalists and vote for your favorite from now until May 10. Check out the slideshow above for a few of our favorites. The winning doodle will be displayed on the Google homepage on May 18.

Last year, Google had 107,000 entries for the contest, which was themed "What I'd like to do someday." California second grader Matteo Lopez won the grand prize with a doodle that depicted a trip into space, walking on the moon.

Google has a whole team dedicated to creating the impressive doodles that often appear on its homepage throughout the year. For some of the more recent U.S. doodles, see the slideshow below.