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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72" style='word-wrap:break-word'><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Dear Colleagues,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Due to pandemic-related fundraising difficulties, the <i>Best Illusion of the Year</i><sup>SM</sup> Contest could not be held in 2022. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Happily, the difficulties are now overcome, and the <i>Best Illusion of the Year</i><sup>SM</sup> Contest will move forward in 2023. We are also thrilled to announce that we have a new sponsor, the <i>Museum of Illusions</i>. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><u><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>All entries for the 2022 Contest have been automatically transferred to the 2023 Contest, which will be hosted in April.</span></u><span style='font-size:12.0pt'> For those contestants who wish to submit additional illusions to the 2023 Contest edition, or revise their previous submissions, we have opened a new submission period from January 15th to February 12th, 2023. Thank you for your understanding, and please accept our apologies for any inconvenience caused!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><u><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Please find the updated submission instructions below:<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;text-align:justify'><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:#1A1A1A'>Contestants are invited to submit 1-minute YouTube </span></b><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>or mp4 <span style='color:#1A1A1A'>videos featuring novel illusions (unpublished or published no earlier than 20</span>21<span style='color:#1A1A1A'>) of all sensory modalities (visual, auditory, etc.) and/or cognitive nature.</span> Novel variants of known illusions are welcome. </span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;text-align:justify'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:#1A1A1A'>The content of the 1-minute video presenting your illusion is solely up to you, and the only requirement is that it wows all viewers! Some examples include, but are not limited to:</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p></o:p></span></p><ul type=disc><li class=MsoNormal style='color:#1A1A1A;mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo3'><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>A slide presentation, or succession of images, with a voice over (and/or written text, if you prefer)</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:windowtext'> </span><o:p></o:p></li><li class=MsoNormal style='color:#1A1A1A;mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo3'><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>A video of yourself describing your illusion</span><o:p></o:p></li><li class=MsoNormal style='color:#1A1A1A;mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo3'><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>A video animation/theatrical performance of your illusion</span><o:p></o:p></li></ul><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;text-align:justify'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:#1A1A1A'>An international panel of impartial judges will rate all the videos and narrow them down to the Top 10. Then, online voters around the world will choose their favorite illusions from the Top 10 finalists. </span><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>T<span style='color:#1A1A1A'>he Top 3 winners will receive cash prizes: <b>$3,000 USD for first place; $2,000 USD for second place, and $1,000 USD for third place</b>.</span></span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:#1A1A1A'>The Judge Panel will rate illusions according to:</span><o:p></o:p></p><ul type=disc><li class=MsoNormal style='color:#1A1A1A;mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;mso-list:l2 level1 lfo6'><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Significance to our understanding of the human mind and brain</span><o:p></o:p></li><li class=MsoNormal style='color:#1A1A1A;mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;mso-list:l2 level1 lfo6'><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Simplicity of the description</span><o:p></o:p></li><li class=MsoNormal style='color:#1A1A1A;mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;mso-list:l2 level1 lfo6'><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Sheer beauty</span><o:p></o:p></li><li class=MsoNormal style='color:#1A1A1A;mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;mso-list:l2 level1 lfo6'><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Counterintuitive quality</span><o:p></o:p></li><li class=MsoNormal style='color:#1A1A1A;mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;mso-list:l2 level1 lfo6'><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Spectacularity</span><o:p></o:p></li></ul><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;text-align:justify'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:#1A1A1A'>Submissions will be held in strict confidence by the Judge Panel. Only the Top 10 illusions will be posted online, </span><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>for<span style='color:#1A1A1A'> worldwide voting</span> to proceed<span style='color:#1A1A1A'>. Participation in the <i>Best Illusion of the Year</i></span><sup>SM</sup><span style='color:#1A1A1A'> Contest does not preclude you from also </span>presenting or <span style='color:#1A1A1A'>submitting your work for publication elsewhere. By participating in the <i>Best Illusion of the Year</i></span><sup>SM</sup><span style='color:#1A1A1A'> Contest you agree to have your illusion posted on the Contest website, if selected among the Top 10, and included in press releases and other promotional materials/fundraising initiatives for the Contest. You (and your co-authors, if appropriate) will retain the full copyright of your illusion and </span>will always <span style='color:#1A1A1A'>receive full credit as illusion creator(s).</span></span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;text-align:justify'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:#1A1A1A'>Illusions submitted to previous editions of the </span><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>C<span style='color:#1A1A1A'>ontest can be re-submitted to the </span>current Contest<span style='color:#1A1A1A'>, </span>so<span style='color:#1A1A1A'> long as they meet the above requirements and were not among the Top 10 finalists in previous years.</span></span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:#1A1A1A'>You can send your 1-minute video </span><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>entries <span style='color:#1A1A1A'>to Susana Martinez-Conde via email (</span></span><a href="mailto:smart@neuralcorrelate.com" target="_blank"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:blue'>smart@neuralcorrelate.com</span></a><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:#1A1A1A'>) until </span><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>February 12<sup><span style='color:#1A1A1A'>th</span></sup><span style='color:#1A1A1A'>, 2023</span></span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:#1A1A1A'>.</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>On behalf of the Executive Board of the Neural Correlate Society:<br>Jose-Manuel Alonso, Stephen Macknik, Susana Martinez-Conde, Luis Martinez, Xoana Troncoso, Peter Tse</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=ES>--------------------------------------<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=ES>Susana Martinez-Conde, PhD<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal>Professor of Ophthalmology, Physiology, & Physiology/Pharmacology<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Empire Innovator Scholar<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>State University of New York<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>450 Clarkson Ave<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Brooklyn, NY 11203<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Office: 718-270-4520<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><a href="http://smc.neuralcorrelate.com">http://smc.neuralcorrelate.com</a><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></body></html>