Queens 3rd grader wins statewide Google Doodle contest

Chloe Chan of PS 188Q Kingsbury in Flushing advances to Google's national competition with her artwork based on the contest's “What inspires me” prompt.

Chloe Chan’s ‘A Doctor and Her Tools’ won New York state’s ‘Doodle 4 Google’ contest. The PS 188Q Kingsbury third-grader advances to the national competition. (Google)

By Nikki M. Mascali, Metro

A third grader from Queens has won a statewide Google Doodle contest with her artwork based on the competition’s “What inspires me” prompt, Google announced Friday.

Aspiring doctor Chloe Chan of PS 188Q Kingsbury in Flushing won Google hardware for her winning artwork entitled “A Doctor and Her Tools” and advances to the national “Doodle 4 Google” contest to compete against students from the other 49 U.S. states, Puerto Rico, Guam and Washington, D.C.

“I am inspired by the work of caring doctors because they help people and children who are sick,” Chan said in her Doodle statement. “When I grow up, I want to be a doctor so I can help people. In my Doodle, I drew a doctor and her tools."

The "Doodle 4 Google" competition gives K-12 students the chance to have their artwork featured on Google’s homepage. Local winners were selected by guest judges, including Olympian Ibtihaj Muhammad, actor Neil Patrick Harris and retired baseball player Carlos Beltran.

Starting Monday and running through May 18, the images will be online for public voting to select five finalists. Google will select the official winner on June 8, and the student will have their work appear on Google’s homepage and receive a $30,000 college scholarship, a $50,000 technology grant for their school or a nonprofit of their choosing as well as a trip to Google’s headquarters and other prizes.

“The annual 'Doodle 4 Google' competition reminds us of the creativity found in students, but this year’s submissions were particularly inspiring,” William Floyd, Google’s head of external affairs, said. “Chloe’s work specifically stood out, and seeing her invoke service and personal ambition in her piece was absolutely awesome.”