Google Logo Contest Winner

I know very few people who did NOT want to be an astronaut when they were children. The adventure, the cool gear, the spaceship: how could anyone pass that up? Well, Matteo Lopez, a second grader from The Monte Verde Elementary School in South San Fransisco, California, has just that on his mind.

Matteo was just awarded a $15,000 scholarship AND a $25,000 technology grant for his school. If you're wondering why, take a look at the image above. His doodle of a "Space Life" theme centered around the Google logo must have immediately caught the attention of the contest judges. Describing his entry, Matteo wrote, "I want to wear a space suit, fly in space, walk on the moon and make friends with aliens (on) other planets."

More than 170,000 U.S. students from grades K-12 entered the competition. The judges included Whoopi Goldberg, Evan Lysacek, and Beverly Cleary. Matteo's drawing will be featured on Google's home page all day today, May 20th, 2011.