Each year, Google invites students to redesign the company logo based on a provided theme. For 2013, the Doodle 4 Google directions were simple: Illustrate your best day ever. Out of 130,000 submissions, a panel of nine guest judges—including TV host Katie Couric and the Roots drummer Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson — chose a poignant six-part design by Sabrina Brady, 18, a high school senior in Sparta, Wisconsin depicting a Veterans homecoming to his daughter.
In it, a little girl carrying a small American flag runs toward a soldier. In the last panel, the soldier kneels down to envelop the girl in a hug. Brady’s caption reads, “When I was 10 years old, my dad came home from war. This was my best day ever.”
For her winning design, which graced the Google home page, Brady received a $30,000 college scholarship (she’s attending Minneapolis College of Art and Design), a Google Chromebook computer, and other prizes. Sparta High School, from which Brady graduated, received a $50,000 technology grant.
“It’s a tough competition to judge,” says Google technologist Daniel Sieberg, part of a team that oversaw the competition, “but as soon as you see [Brady’s Veterans design], you can feel it.”
Veterans returning home and the heartwarming stories of their families and the shared experience and connection they have, clearly won the day and the hearts of the judges.
