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

STUART, FL — A high school student from Florida is one of five finalists in 2022's Doodle for Google contest, the company announced Thursday.

Sophie Araque-Liu, a student at Martin County High School in Stuart, was the national winner in grades 10-12. Her doodle, titled "Not alone," 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.

Sophie's doodle depicts two women embracing in the place of the second O in Google.

"It's my mother. It's me, and we're hugging each other," she said in a video posted to the Martin County Schools website. "It's supposed to be about our relationship and how much support she's given me and how she's always there for me through everything."

She also submitted a written response to the prompt.

"I care for myself by accepting others' care for me," she wrote. "Often I struggle to shoulder a burden on my own, and forget that I have so many people, like my mom, who care about me and want to help me. Opening up and letting others support me not only relieves my stress — it also lets me tackle things I could never do on my own."

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

If Sophie 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.

"What, like a billion people use Google?" Sophie said. "Having them see my artwork would be insane."

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.