Archive · 16 Aug 2025
Optical Illusion Contest: Exploring Brain's Perception
Optical illusions are like tricks that our brains play on us.
Every year, there's a contest to find the coolest ones!
Scientists and artists create these illusions to fool our eyes and brains.
When we see an illusion, it reveals how our brains build our view of the world.
Scientists study these illusions to learn about how our brains work, like how neurons fire and create our reality.
Illusions have been around for a long time, even since the time of Aristotle!
These illusions help us understand how we see, and maybe even understand how we think.
The 2024 Best Illusion of the Year contest showcased creative visual illusions.
The contest, co-founded by Susana Martinez-Conde, attracts artists and scientists.
Illusions have been studied since ancient times, with Aristotle describing one.
Scientists use illusions to understand how the brain perceives the world.
The Neural Correlate Society runs the competition, and voting for 2025 will open next year.
- Who
- The contest is for artists and scientists and was co-founded by Susana Martinez-Conde.
- What
- The Best Illusion of the Year contest and the study of optical illusions.
- When
- The contest has been running for two decades, and the 2024 winners were recently announced.
- Where
- The international contest features submissions from around the globe.
- Why
- Scientists study illusions to understand how the brain builds our perception of reality.
- Contest Name
- Best Illusion of the Year
- Founder
- Susana Martinez-Conde
- 2024 Winners
- Spinning ballerina, doll-box human, and shifting prism
- Focus
- Understanding brain perception
- Organization
- Neural Correlate Society