×

Google selects Jackson 5th grader as finalist in art competition

By Garret Grove May 30, 2023 | 3:26 PM

JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – Benjamin Cummins is one step closer to having his artwork viewed by millions on Google. 

The fifth grader at Ida B Wells Academic and Performing Arts Complex in Jackson entered the 15th-annual Doodle for Google student contest, hoping others could see his art worldwide.

After Benjamin won the statewide portion of the competition earlier in May, Google users across the United States voted for Benjamin’s design among the country’s best. On Tuesday, Google announced that Benjamin’s Doodle is among the nation’s five finalists. 

  • Kids cheer in excitement as Benjamin Simmons is recognized for his artwork for Doodle for Google.
    Kids cheer in excitement as Benjamin Simmons is recognized for his artwork for Doodle for Google. (Courtesy: JPS)
  • Benjamin Cummins holds drawing he submitted for the Doodle for Google Contest.
    Benjamin Cummins holds drawing he submitted for the Doodle for Google Contest. (Courtesy: JPS)

Doodles regularly appear on Google’s home page whenever anyone uses the Google search engine. Four judges and many Google users statewide helped Benjamin and others be among the competition’s 55 state and territory winners. The four judges are “Stranger Things” actor Noah Schnapp, 2023 National Teacher of the Year Kurt Russell, author Brian Selznick, and Google’s team lead for Doodle, Jessica Yu.  

Each Doodle for Google design features Google letters artistically drawn around what the artist is grateful for. Benjamin is thankful for bees, so flowers, beehives, grass, honey, and honeybees are part of his Doodle. 

Benjamin Cummins' Google drawing for the Doodle for Google Contest. It features flowers, beehives, grass, honey, and honeybees.
Benjamin Cummins’ Google drawing for the Doodle for Google Contest. (Courtesy: Google)

“I’m grateful for the bees, because they pollinate most of our food, and they are necessary for the ecosystem,” Benjamin said in his entry. 

Google will announce the winner of the national competition on June 6. The winner will have their art on Google’s homepage for one day. Afterward, Google archives the Doodle alongside the more than 5,000 that have appeared on Google’s homepage since Halloween in 2000.  

Benjamin would also receive a $30,000 college scholarship if chosen as the winner. Ida B Wells APAC would also receive a $50,000 technology grant. 

If Benjamin doesn’t win, he has already received Google hardware and merchandise and a special surprise announcement organized by Google at his school for winning in the statewide part of the competition. Additionally, he is the national finalist for grades 4-5, so Benjamin could put that on his resume for when he starts middle school next year.