This year’s judges are all passionate about self-care and wellness. The panel will help us determine our 54 state and territory winners and five national finalists, one of whom will go on to be the national grand prize winner.

Selena Gomez is a Grammy-nominated artist, entrepreneur and philanthropist. One of her personal passions is starting conversations around mental health, and in 2019 she founded the Rare Impact Fund, pledging to raise $100 million for mental health services for individuals in underserved communities. “Art is something that has always been an important part of my life,” she says. “I am thrilled to join this year’s judges panel in the Doodle for Google contest as the theme is ‘I care for myself by,’ which is a topic close to my heart. As a longtime advocate for mental health awareness, the concept that self-care is becoming a part of our everyday conversation makes me hopeful for the future.”

Our second judge, Elyse Fox, is a director, model and mental health activist. She created Sad Girls Club, a nonprofit committed to destigmatizing mental wellness for millennial and Gen Z women, girls and femmes of color, and she’s a member of the Rare Beauty Mental Health Council. “This year’s theme ‘I care for myself by’ is an important prompt we should all be asking ourselves, especially in today’s climate,” she says. “I love the theme because sometimes people may think caring for yourself is selfish, but on the contrary it’s necessary for us to prioritize to be the best versions of who we want to be.”

Our final judge, Juliana Urtubey, is the 2021 National Teacher of the Year, and she currently serves as a special education co-teacher at Kermit Booker Elementary in Las Vegas, Nevada. She has spent her career advocating for joyous and just education for all, and community-oriented wellbeing is at the center of her mission. “One of the ways I care for myself is through self-reflection and engaging with my community,” she says. “Knowing yourself and understanding how and why you process certain emotions is influenced by where you come from, and for me, my collective community keeps me grounded and centered. I teach my students how to acknowledge and regulate their emotions and since their relationships and interactions with family, friends and community members can have a major impact on their health and well-being, we always talk about our emotions with a community context.”

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