Ms Francis said Harrison had "tried to slip his entry in the pile without being seen" but his work was spied by classmates, who along with Ms Francis recognised winning potential in the artwork.
Harrison said he had chosen as his doodle subject the famous Kiwi adventurer and explorer Sir Edmund Hillary, who along with Nepalese Sherpa guide Tenzing Norgay became the first to reach the summit of Mount Everest, the tallest mountain in the world.
Harrison titled his doodle World's Greatest Explorer and wrote a supporting statement for his work.
"My Google doodle features Mountaineer Sir Edmund Hillary, who in my eyes is one of our greatest explorers. I have also used a compass which is a tool used by explorers today and yesteryear. Lastly I have included our world, a planet that we all love to explore."
Winners of the public vote in each age grade will pocket a Nexus tablet for themselves and 10 tablets for their schools.
A Google Doodler will then select an overall national winner from the pool of finalists and the champion work would be shown on the google.co.nz homepage for a day "for millions of New Zealanders to enjoy", according to contest literature.
The national winner will be announced at an awards ceremony next month and the winner will also win $10,000 worth of technology for their school, a Samsung Chromebook to take home and a trip to Antarctica on board the Australasian Antarctic Expedition for a teacher nominated by the school.
Harrison said he was not that keen on travelling to the frozen continent, although Ms Francis said she "probably could be persuaded", especially given the woolly boots she would need to buy for the trip.
To cast a vote in the contest, go to http://www.google.co.nz/doodle4google.
