Doodle For Google Finalists: Maryland Boy Among 2022's Top 5

ELKRIDGE, MD — An elementary school student from Maryland is one of five finalists in 2022's Doodle for Google contest, the company announced Thursday.

Edison Lee was the national winner in grades K-3. His doodle, titled "Dreaming of my bright future," was among tens of thousands submitted by students in 54 U.S. states and territories.

Each doodle illustrated the artist's answer to this year's prompt: "I care for myself by…" The purpose was for students to "share how they nurture themselves in tough times," according to Google.

Edison, a student at Rockburn Elementary School in Elkridge, according to WMAR, also submitted a written response to the prompt.

"I care for myself by dreaming of my bright future," he wrote. "In my dreams, I can be anything I want!"

This year's other finalists hail from Delaware, Pennsylvania, Missouri and Florida.

If Edison wins, his art will be featured on Google's homepage for a day and he'll receive a $30,000 scholarship and a $50,000 technology package for his school.

The top five finalists were assessed on artistic merit, creativity and how well they addressed the prompt in their artwork and written statements.

This year's judges are pop star Selena Gomez, director and mental health advocate Elyse Fox, and Juliana Urtubey, the 2021 National Teacher of the Year.

"Each one of (the finalists) brought intentionality, artistry and heart to their Doodles," according to a statement by Google.

See all finalists and their drawings in the 2022 Doodle for Google contest.