Blanding teen chosen as top-5 finalist in Google art contest

BLANDING — What is your superpower? That is the question Google asked children across the country to answer in an art design contest. And one special design from a Utah teen was chosen as a top-five finalist.

"My superpower is reading and writing. I love to lose myself in other worlds — and to create my own. This is my superpower," Olive Harris said in her artist statement for her design.

The 14-year-old told KSL she has submitted designs for Google's annual Doodle for Google contest the last few years for fun, but she never expected to be chosen as a finalist.

"I was about to go to soccer practice, and I was trying to eat dinner super fast because it was in like five minutes, and then (my mom) was like, 'Olive, I got to tell you something,' and I was like, 'I need to eat dinner,'" Olive recounted.

Her mother, Loni Harris, explained she had gotten the call earlier that day and was waiting until the whole family was together to tell Olive the good news.

"It was super exciting, but also I was like super surprised. I didn't believe it at first," Olive said.

"She kept saying, 'No, Mom, are you sure?' 'Mom, are you being tricked?'' Harris said with a laugh.

Olive's design this year includes stacks of books leaning against the outside of misshapen letters that spell "Google." Inside the letters, she is exploring a new world.

Google representatives visited Albert R. Lyman Middle School, where Olive attends, last week to recognize her accomplishment at an assembly. She was one of just five finalists chosen from 30,000 entries.

"It was super nerve-racking because Google came and everybody was staring at me but it's OK," Olive said.

Her mother said it was fun to attend, as not many people knew that Olive had won, so the school kids were all surprised and trying to figure out who had been chosen. A video was played where NBA star Giannis Antetokounmpo, one of the contest's judges, announced Olive as a finalist.

She was then presented with $10,000 in scholarship money and a big printed version of her design.

On Tuesday, April 28, Olive's design will appear on the search engine's homepage. Voting for the top five designs is open now and will close on Wednesday, April 29, before the national winner is announced in May.

"I'm so happy for her. I'm also just super proud of her," Harris said. "It's been cool to see how much she has put herself outside of her comfort zone and how much she has grown and it's just been a good experience all around."

If she wins the competition, she will receive an additional $45,000 in scholarship money and her school will receive a $50,000 tech package from Google.

Olive's mother said it has been really cool to see how much support they have received from the community, including her schoolmates, who have dutifully been voting for her design every day. Teachers at other nearby schools have also reached out to tell Harris they are all voting for Olive's design.

"It's been really cool to see how excited her school and our community have been for her," Harris said. "Just like tons of people sharing, tons of people so excited for her and that's been the coolest thing," Harris said.

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