September 29, 2015 - 10:41 AMT
Google sets competition for Easter Rising centenary doodle

Schoolchildren of all ages are being invited to submit centenary-themed artwork for next year’s 1916 commemorations as part of the annual Doodle 4 Google competition, Irish Times reports.

The search engine launched the 2016 edition of the competition on Monday, September 28, and it will focus on themes such as Our Home, Our Story, Our Identity and Our Journey as the nation prepares to reflect on the 100th anniversary of the Easter Rising.

The deadline for entries is November 26th, 2015, and the winning design will appear as a ‘Doodle’ on the Google homepage on Easter Monday, March 28th, 2016.

Those looking to claim the prize will be grouped in five categories ranging in age from junior infants to Leaving Cert students.

Each category winner will receive two Chromebook laptops - one for the winner and one for their teacher, and the overall victor will be awarded a €5,000 scholarship towards their third-level studies along with a €10,000 technology grant.

The quest to claim a place on Google’s homepage for 2016 has been initiated slightly earlier than in recent years, as previous Doodles were usually displayed in April rather than March.

The 2015 competition attracted over 5,000 entries, and six year-old Harry Kane emerged victorious with his drawing titled My Perfect Day.