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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 style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;margin-bottom:12.0pt;background:white'><span style='color:black'>****CALL FOR ILLUSION SUBMISSIONS: THE WORLD’S 19TH ANNUAL BEST ILLUSION OF THE YEAR CONTEST****<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;margin-bottom:12.0pt;background:white'><u><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:blue'><a href="http://illusionoftheyear.com">http://illusionoftheyear.com</a></span></u><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'><br><br>We are happy to announce the <b>19<sup>th</sup> edition of world's Best Illusion of the Year<sup>SM</sup> Contest</b>, hosted by the Neural Correlate Society and supported again by the<b> <a href="https://www.museumofillusions.com/">Museum of Illusions</a> as Platinum Sponsor</b>!! <b>Submissions are now welcome</b>! </span><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'>In 2015, the Best Illusion of the Year</span><sup><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>SM</span></sup><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:#1A1A1A'> Contest became an annual online event, with the goal of bringing the creativity of the illusion creator community all around the world. Anybody with an internet connection can participate! No matter where you live, you can be a contestant, and/or vote for the Top 3 winners!</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif'><o:p></o:p></span></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videos featuring novel illusions (unpublished or published no earlier than 20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>23<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><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'>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'> </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: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><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, to allow worldwide voting. Participation in the Best Illusion of the Year</span><sup><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>SM</span></sup><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:#1A1A1A'> Contest does not preclude you from also </span><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>presenting or <span style='color:#1A1A1A'>submitting your work for publication elsewhere. By participating in the Best Illusion of the Year</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 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 contest can be re-submitted to the 202</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>4<span style='color:#1A1A1A'> Contest, as 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 to Susana Martinez-Conde via email (</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><a href="mailto:illusion.contest.entries@outlook.com">illusion.contest.entries@outlook.com</a><span style='color:#1A1A1A'>) until </span><b>September<span style='color:#1A1A1A'> </span>15<sup><span style='color:#1A1A1A'>th</span></sup><span style='color:#1A1A1A'>, 202</span>4</b><span style='color:#1A1A1A'>.</span><o:p></o:p></span></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>Susana Martinez-Conde, PhD<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Author, <a href="x-msg://2/championsofillusionbook.com">Champions of Illusion</a> and <a href="https://nam01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Furldefense.proofpoint.com%2Fv2%2Furl%3Fu%3Dhttp-3A__www.sleightsofmind.com_%26d%3DDwMFAg%26c%3DslrrB7dE8n7gBJbeO0g-IQ%26r%3Dg2Yp4_ao3SNvpe_N-aKotUCw6Uk5ZCFaHS4yfmcUC-E%26m%3DDXCSOfrVF8RiRxxw222LzMlWLE4w8bjHlyBdQlqW200%26s%3DaQcZQB18cQC5Y4VSmK5FveDMw6uaM1M0c4k-USm-F3M%26e%3D&data=02%7C01%7CSusana.Martinez-Conde%40downstate.edu%7C4ff6b6d84e27499b34c008d75c80fbf9%7C22670793760f482993153e427c362e69%7C0%7C0%7C637079581374295223&sdata=F4vAf25dt%2Bt3qUndttBZhmVY6kQswHANcGtY%2FdNxDUo%3D&reserved=0">Sleights of Mind</a><br>Professor of Ophthalmology, Neurology, and Physiology & Pharmacology<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Director, Laboratory of Integrative Neuroscience<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Empire Innovator Scholar <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>State University of New York (SUNY)<br>Downstate Health Sciences University<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>450 Clarkson Ave, Brooklyn NY 11203, USA<br>Email: <a href="mailto:smart@neuralcorrelate.com" target="_blank">smart@neuralcorrelate.com</a><br>Phone: <a href="tel:%2B1%20718-270-4520" target="_blank">+1 718-270-4520</a><br><a href="https://nam01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Furldefense.proofpoint.com%2Fv2%2Furl%3Fu%3Dhttp-3A__smc.neuralcorrelate.com%26d%3DDwMFAg%26c%3DslrrB7dE8n7gBJbeO0g-IQ%26r%3Dg2Yp4_ao3SNvpe_N-aKotUCw6Uk5ZCFaHS4yfmcUC-E%26m%3DDXCSOfrVF8RiRxxw222LzMlWLE4w8bjHlyBdQlqW200%26s%3DKATdyZA41wbtJjQw0aQ-muILTCtWazvhDIkKlt_7RFc%26e%3D&data=02%7C01%7CSusana.Martinez-Conde%40downstate.edu%7C4ff6b6d84e27499b34c008d75c80fbf9%7C22670793760f482993153e427c362e69%7C0%7C0%7C637079581374295223&sdata=kUseYHHgKR%2B6fvIACCmFFUChup93nVdjjHp1Jqum3KM%3D&reserved=0" target="_blank">http://smc.neuralcorrelate.com</a><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></body></html>