2019 Third prize

Ryan E.B. Mruczek and Gideon Paul Caplovitz. “The Rotating Circles Illusion”. College of the Holy Cross and University of Nevada Reno. USA

In the Rotating Circles illusion, the true motion of the central circle is unchanging – it simply rotates around a central point. However, the added motion of surrounding circles leads the perceived motion of the central circle to appear “pulled” and distorted. Even though it is continuously rotating, by fixating the white dot the central circle can appear to move up and down, left and right, even in a triangle. As with other dynamic illusions, the effect is strongest when viewed in the periphery. Viewers can confirm that the central circle is always rotating simply by looking right at it.

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