NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Morgan Ison, a North Little Rock resident and 2020 North Little Rock Center of Excellence graduate, has won the state level of the 2020 Doodle for Google competition.
Ison's illustration shows children of different races and cultures playing and talking together on a swing set/playground.
"Kindness, especially in times of tension, is an extremely important thing to share," Ison said of her illustration. "Learning to share, be patient, be there for one another, and to give one another space are all skills that are extremely helpful to learn at a young age, all of which are shown throughout my Doodle."
The next phase of the contest is public voting, taking place from August 17 – 21. This process will select the five national finalists, who will receive a $5,000 scholarship and other prize items.
Those five finalists will be judged by Google’s national judges, and the final national winner will receive a $30,000 scholarship, $50,000 in technology for their school, and other prize items.
"I am an artist," Ison said. For my entire life, my primary goal in life was to craft, to mold, to create. I want to bring back something people have lost— a love for all the beautiful things that we create, hidden in the nooks and crannies of the world we live in."
Ison starts college this month at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville studying Studio Art and wants to eventually work as an illustrator.
To help Ison get to the next phase, you can vote for her here. Her drawing is listed under Arkansas in the Grades 10-12 section.