Google searches for picture of Britishness

Google has launched a competition which invites schoolchildren to create an image which represents what it's like to live in the United Kingdom for display on the company's famously sparse UK homepage.

The Doodle 4 Google — My Britain competition, launched on Tuesday, follows on from a similar project last year when the search giant invited London children to design an image for the UK homepage. The London competition was won by Lisa Wainaina, aged 11, with an entry called 'Day of the Child'.

The competition will be judged by Dennis Hwang, creator of the popular Google doodles. Hwang specialises in altering the Google image to coincide with special occasions such as Christmas, St. Patrick's Day and dates of historical significance.

"British kids are already using Google as a research and education tool. Now we are giving them the chance to use our homepage to talk to the rest of the world about their country and its values. I’m hoping we’ll see some extremely imaginative and expressive designs. We certainly did last year." said Hwang.

The winner will travel to Google’s HQ, the Googleplex in California, where they will help Hwang design a doodle. The winning Google Doodle will be seen by approximately 17 million people when it is loaded onto Google.co.uk for a day.

To enter, and to see more information about the Doodle 4 Google — My Britain, visit google.co.uk/doodle4google. The competition is open to schoolchildren aged 4-18. The Web site will be updated over the course of the competition to include downloadable copies of the school entry pack, lesson plans and other information.