Doodle For Google Finalists: Missouri Girl Among 2022's Top 5

ELLISVILLE, MO — A middle school student from Missouri is one of five finalists in 2022's Doodle for Google contest, the company announced Thursday.

Grace Dai was the national winner in grades 8-9. Her doodle, titled "The life-cycle of health," 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.

Grace, a student at Crestview Middle School in Ellisville, according to KSDK, also submitted a written response to the prompt.

"I care for myself by being outdoors, especially with family or my sketchbook. My optimism and mental health soar most when I'm outside because self-care is like nature; they're both beautiful, intricate systems," Grace wrote. "Like how a bee pollinates a flower, or how the bird hunts the worm, self-care should be as systematic and natural as life itself."

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

If Grace wins, her art will be featured on Google's homepage for a day. She will also receive a $30,000 scholarship and a $50,000 technology package for her 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 artwork in the 2022 Doodle for Google contest.