Schoolchildren offered chance to design 1916 Google doodle

Schoolchildren of all ages are being invited to submit centenary-themed artwork for next year's 1916 commemorations as part of the annual Doodle 4 Google competition.

The search engine launched the 2016 edition of the competition on Monday, and it will focus on themes such as Our Home, Our Story, Our Identity and Our Journey as the nation prepares to reflect on the 100th anniversary of the Easter Rising.

The deadline for entries is November 26th, 2015, and the winning design will appear as a ‘Doodle’ on the Google homepage on Easter Monday, March 28th, 2016.

Those looking to claim the prize will be grouped in five categories ranging in age from junior infants to Leaving Cert students.

Chromebook laptops

Each category winner will receive two Chromebook laptops - one for the winner and one for their teacher, and the overall victor will be awarded a €5,000 scholarship towards their third-level studies along with a €10,000 technology grant.

The quest to claim a place on Google’s homepage for 2016 has been initiated slightly earlier than in recent years, as previous Doodles were usually displayed in April rather than March.

The 2015 competition attracted over 5,000 entries, and six year-old Harry Kane emerged victorious with his drawing titled My Perfect Day.

"2016 is a significant year for Ireland, commemorating as it does the events of 1916 which subsequently led to the birth of the modern Ireland we are today," said Ronan Harris, head of Google in Ireland.

“This year’s Doodle 4 Google competition allows young people to express their views of this Ireland through their Doodles and we hope in preparing their entries that it will encourage discussion in schools, and among children and their parents on the themes of Ireland then and now.”

Those on the judging panel include street artist Maser, Aideen Howard of Ark Children's Theatre and Cartoon Saloon co-founder Tomm Moore. They will judge 75 finalists before an winner is announced.