National Doodle Day
Support funding and research into epilepsy, simply by doodling and submitting your little works of art with a donation to this important cause.
Activate creative communities and health-conscious audiences through a low-barrier fundraising campaign that combines art participation with epilepsy awareness and donation drives.
- Share user-generated doodles with donation CTAs on Instagram/social to build community engagement
- Partner with art supply retailers and stationery brands for co-branded fundraising kits
- Feature celebrity/influencer doodle auctions to drive PR and high-value donations
- Create educational content about epilepsy myths paired with doodle-sharing challenges to normalize the condition
The background of National Doodle Day dates back to 2004 when it became a worldwide event to raise awareness and funds for epilepsy research and support in the UK. The event is now celebrated annually and has successfully raised thousands of pounds each year for the cause.
The tagline ‘Drawing a line through epilepsy’ heads the campaign, and participants can join in by submitting their doodles, along with a small donation. The Doodle Day team then judges the doodles and awards prizes accordingly.
In addition to holding a doodle drawing contest for individuals, National Doodle Day also has connections with a wide variety of famous people who offer up a doodle or drawing to be auctioned off to raise funds for the Epilepsy Action organization. From Axel Scheffler (illustrator of The Gruffalo) and Martin Brown (illustrator of Horrible Histories) to Eddie Redmayne and Mary Berry, a huge array of famous British folks have participated in the auction for the National Doodle Day over the years. Each year brings a new chance for folks to bid on and win some one-of-a-kind artwork.
So next time someone in the family creates a random masterpiece while day-dreaming, don’t throw it away. Keep it for the next National Doodle Day!
Start (or Keep!) Doodling
One great thing about doodling as an art form is that it doesn’t require any fancy equipment. On National Doodle Day, just pick up a standard pen or pencil with a notebook or even some scraps of paper and get started! Squiggly lines, flowers, circles, diamonds, hearts and even faces will often make their way from pen to paper, many times without even thinking about it. In fact, some folks believe that what a person doodles reveals a great deal about their personality! For instance, according to some graphologists, doodling circles might show a need to belong while triangles might reveal a powerful and ambitious personality. And, of course, mindlessly sketching hearts would imply a sense of love and romance.
Check Out National Doodle Day Online
Those who are interested in following along with the happenings on National Doodle Day can look at the Epilepsy Action website to learn more about the day. Not only that, but the webpage also offers an option to sign up to receive email notifications to keep apprised of all of the happenings around the event. It’s also possible to follow National Doodle Day on Instagram to view amazing artwork! Learn About Epilepsy on National Doodle DayBecause National Doodle Day was established to support and raise funds for those who have epilepsy, a great way to observe the day would be to learn some helpful and interesting facts about this condition, including some of these:Epilepsy is a brain disorder that causes seizures, without any other temporary underlying medical condition.People who have epilepsy are affected in many different ways and with varying degrees of severity.Epilepsy is not contagious and cannot be transferred from one person to another.While the cause is often unknown, some people have epilepsy due to other conditions such as stroke, brain tumor, traumatic brain injury or an infection in the central nervous system.