Omaha third-grader wins Google contest

Artwork from a third-grader at St. James/Seton School in Omaha could get world-wide viewing on the internet thanks to Google.

Ava Spicka was the Nebraska winner in the "Doodle 4 Google" art contest.

Sponsored by Google, the annual contest invites kindergarteners through high school seniors to create a "doodle," or artistic representation of the Google name. The national winner will see his or her doodle used on the company’s website homepage.

Spicka’s entry, titled "Save the Animals," used a rain forest theme and included a panda bear, lion, elephant and other images to spell out the company’s name.

As the state winner, Spicka, who also is a member of St. James Parish in Omaha, received an Android tablet and T-shirt emblazoned with her artwork.

People can vote for their favorite entry from all winners across the country until March 6 at https://doodles.google.com/d4g/vote.html.

Five national finalists will be invited to Google’s headquarters in Mountain View, Calif., where the national winner will receive a $30,000 college scholarship and a Chromebook.

The winner’s school also will receive a $50,000 Google for Education Technology Award.

Google will announce the winner March 31 when it posts the winning piece of art on its home page.